On March 15, Delta Air lines flight 5752 operated by Republic Airways took off from Washington National airport and was approaching New York LaGuardia. They were intructed to contact tower, but pilots contacted the wrong Tower. The Embraer E-170 went to the frequency for JFK instead.
- They should have picked New York LaGuardia Tower at 118.7
- In context, it appears they instead chose JFK Tower 119.1
LaGuardia approach said “contact tower” without giving the frequency. Tthe crew selected the wrong tower and reached JFK. JFK was working other traffic, and then gave the Republic flight a landing clearance. Only after the controller asked where they were did this fully register, umm, “This is Kennedy Tower.” The crew replied with surprise and then went around.
They were at the right airport. They weren’t lined up for New York JFK – but that’s whom they were talking to.
Pilot: LaGuardia Tower, Brickyard 5752, ILS 4
[JFK Tower works American 274 from Los Angeles actually arriving at JFK]
LaGuardia Tower: Brickyard 5752, LaGuardia Tower, wind is at 120 at 4, runway 4 cleared to land, traffic departs north 13.
LaGuardia Tower: (After receiving no response.) Brickyard 5752, Tower.
Pilot: Tower, 5752, confirm, cleared to land 4?
JFK Tower: That’s, uh, who?
Pilot: Brickyard 5752.
LaGuardia Tower: Brickyard 5752, LaGuardia Tower.
JFK Tower: Brickyard 5752. I’m sorry, where are you?
Pilot: 2-mile final, Brickyard 5752.
JFK Tower: 2-mile final where?
Pilot: Runway 4.
JFK Tower: At LaGuardia?
Pilot: Yes ma’am.
JFK Tower: This is Kennedy Tower, please, go to LaGuardia Tower.
Pilot: Oh my goodness. Alright.
Unknown: That’s crazy.
LaGuardia Tower: Brickyard 5752.
Pilot: Yeah, 5752, we’re going around.
The cockpit selected the wrong frequency even though the correct LGA tower frequency would have been on the approach chart. The pilots were at fault here.
But approach omitted the actual tower frequency. That removed a redundancy layer. Controllers aren’t actually required to say the frequency that the flight should switch to. If the controller expects the pilot to know which frequency is in use, they don’t have to spell it out. “Contact tower” is standard. But “Contact tower at 118.7” would have been far better in this case. Crowded New York airspace with numerous possible airports and frequencies is where you might want this to be the standard.
I did like a couple of online comments I saw on this:
“I’m at 3rd and Main”
“Sesame Street; can you tell me how to get?”
So that Delta regional flight got to short final at LaGuardia while in communication with the wrong tower, and made it through several transmissions before realizing it. That could have been bad if LaGuardia had needed to give them instructions on the runway environment. The good news, and why folks can joke about this, is because the flight went around and continued without issue.
That’s much better than when an American Airlines regional jet actually landed on the wrong runway at Chicago O’Hare, and when this plane headed for Tampa lined up with a military base instead.
(HT: Cheryl)
“… in contest…”?
But you did use “whom” correctly.
Could’ve been worse…
*gestures broadly*
*also gestures specifically at a week later (March 22)*
Some online write that LaGuardia should be closed and people forced to take trains paid for by the rich.
That’s why everyone should use proper radio discipline. It catches mistakes that will happen. If you think everyone in the system should be perfect, you’re fooling yourself, mistakes happen.
How odd. Double error by the pilots as one usually has the next expected frequency (LGA Tower) already dialed into the standby radio so its just a single button push away come hand off time. So a pilot likely entered the wrong tower much well before the “incident”.
Perhaps the FAA should consider renumbering the runways at LGA, which has two runways, 4/22 and 13/31. JFK has four, 4L/22R and 13R/22L. I wonder if the wandering of the magnetic north pole might not allow one of them to be redone and still be close enough to the actual heading of arriving and departing aircraft so as not to cause concern.
Sure, JFK has right and left runway designators, but if LGA were 5/23 and 14/32, it would be even more obvious to a pilot lining up for the long runway the the number is wrong.
I was direct by Providence tower to land on 5 left and as I was lining up for final a tower operator came on and started directing me to 5 right now ! He said there was a heavy landing on 5 left get out of the way. A near mishap. I was a student pilot at the time but had the FBO with me and he heard exactly what I heard ! 5 left.
There was NO runway / airport confusion here, no need to move the runways and change the names! Brickyard was exactly where he was supposed to be, on final for LGA. He was just trying to speak to the wrong people. If you watch the video, it says 1:30 went by before first attempting to contact the (wrong) tower which is WAY TOO LONG to wait after being told to do so, 3 miles out.
Where is Capt Steve, I think pilot deviation here
Couldn’t find a better picture of LGA?
The runway designations work just fine. This happens once every 10 years, which indicate the system is working.
It is noteworthy how all 3 NYC airports have a runway 4/22
Do you know why that is?
Runways are are oriented with the prevailing winds in the area. Often the “bad weather” runway is fortuitously just the opposite direction of the main runway.
“JFK was working other traffic, and then gave the Republic flight a landing clearance.”
When did JFK give them a landing clearance?
The pilot was never cleared to land at the wrong airport. The break down for this is false. Wrong frequency happens all the time. Pilot did the right thing and confirmed they were cleared to land, then went around on their own.
Both LGA and JFK have a runway 4 and 22. JFK has two parallel runways with this same heading, so they use L and R designators.
I’m surprised this hasn’t happened more often. Maybe it has?