Two pilots safely landed a Boeing 747 Dreamlifter cargo plane at a Wichita, Kansas, airport last night. Unfortunately, it was the wrong Wichita airport.
In the radio conversation between the air traffic controller and the crew member, the controller asks, “Do you know which airport you’re at?” One of the crew members replies, “Let me ask you this, how many airports … are there?”
It turns out there are two: the Colonel James Jabara Airport, where the Dreamlifter landed, and McConnell Air Force Base eight miles away, which was the intended destination for the 747.
A tug was brought in to help the 747 — one of the largest cargo planes in the world — turn around to prepare for take-off. The aircraft was too large to maneuver itself on the runway, which is 6,101 feet long.
Jabara airport is closed until the Dreamlifter takes off.
Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson gets an update from Wichita Airport Authority spokeswoman Valerie Wise, who says the plane is scheduled to leave Jabara airport today, weather permitting.
Video from The Wichita Eagle
Guest
- Valerie Wise, spokeswoman for the Wichita Airport Authority.
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