Before its merger with United Airlines in 2010, Continental Airlines flew a scheduled passenger service between Orlando International Airport (MCO) and Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). On October 28th, 2006, the carrier was using a Boeing 757-200 aircraft to operate Flight 1883 on this route, with 148 passengers and six crew members onboard. However, its landing was rather unusual.
What happened?
According to the NTSB report on the incident, as shared by Skybrary, a then 12-year-old Boeing 757-200 bearing the registration N17105 was responsible for operating Flight 1883 on the day in question. Its journey from Orlando to Newark took place in the late afternoon and early evening, with the unorthodox touchdown eventually taking place at 18:31 local time. But what led to this occurrence?
After an otherwise uneventful flight up the US East Coast from Orlando, the New York Approach Control had initially instructed the pilots of Flight 1883 to perform an Instrument Landing System (ILS) approach to Runway 22L. As the aircraft descended below 8,000 feet (2,440 m), the pilots were instructed to circle towards the west, followed by a low-altitude right turn to line up with Runway 29 for landing.
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The two pilots of the Boeing 757-200 followed these instructions, and upon taking the final right turn, they noticed that the Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) was located to the left of Runway 29. That, in fact, was an incorrect determination as the pilots had mistakenly identified Taxiway Z as Runway 29. As it happened, this taxiway was located parallel to the runway that they were aiming for.
While continuing to approach, at approximately 300 feet (90 m), the aircraft flew through an intermittent rain cloud, resulting in a brief loss of visual contact with the 'runway.' The aircraft landed safely on Taxiway Z before the crew realized their mistake, and the ground controller at EWR guided the aircraft to the gate without further incident. All passengers and crew were safely deplaned without injury.
The investigation
Runway 29 at Newark Liberty International Airport is a 6,880-foot (2,100 m) asphalt runway with a width of 150 feet (46 m). The runway is equipped with high-intensity runway edge lights (HIRL), with light intensity levels ranging from 1 to 5 (brightest). At the time of the unexpected incident, the HIRL of Runway 29 was set to level 1, with both this system and the taxiway lights operating normally.
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Mergers were seen as a way to grow the network and save money.Meanwhile, the parallel Taxiway Z is a concrete surface with a width of 75 feet (23 m). It is equipped with green centerline lights (CL), which also come with light intensity levels ranging from 1 to 5 (brightest). At the time of the incident, the CL of Taxiway Z was set to level 3. As part of the investigation into the incident, a research flight was taken around Newark Liberty International under similar conditions.
This revealed that Runway 29's centerline lights (white) and Taxiway Z's centerline lights (green) were completely lit and distinguishable at the time of the incident. However, the Taxiway Z centerline lights appeared brighter than the HIRL of Runway 29. Due to low visibility, the light intensity of Taxiway Z may have caused the pilots to mistakenly land at the taxiway, with the rain burst also causing problems.
Recommendations and aftermath
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) advised upgrading the navigational guidance for both the north and south arrivals while comprehensively using the available airspace over EWR. Additionally, a greater difference between runway and taxiway light intensities was implemented to avoid similar confusion reoccurring.
Specifically, the HIRL on Runway 29 was increased to a level 3 intensity. Meanwhile, the CL on Taxiway Z was reduced to a level 2 intensity. The new settings ultimately allowed incoming pilots to better distinguish between the runway lights and the taxiway, particularly in low-visibility conditions.
More than 17 years later, the very Boeing 757-200 that was involved in the incident (N17105) remains in service with United Airlines today. According to data from ch-aviation, it is now 29.4 years old and has 176 seats onboard. It has racked up more than 105,000 flight hours in almost three decades of service.
What are your thoughts on this misidentification incident? Have you ever encountered a similar occurrence? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!