Continental Airlines Flight 1883
Encyclopedia
Continental
Flight 1883 was a Boeing
757-224
, registration N17105, on a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Orlando, Florida
to Newark, New Jersey
, with 148 passengers and 6 crew on board, which mistakenly landed on a taxiway
at Newark Liberty International Airport
, on the evening of October 28, 2006. There were no reported injuries or damage, but the narrowly-averted disaster was investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board
, and caused the Federal Aviation Administration
to reevaluate and modify air and ground safety procedures at and around Newark Airport.
22L instrument approach
, circle-to-land runway 29. This required descending southwest towards runway 22L, followed by a low altitude circling maneuver to land on runway 29 to the west. As the flight crew descended and turned toward the airport, they misidentified the runway and landed instead on 75 feet (22.9 m) wide taxiway Z at 1831 EDT, about 30 minutes after sunset. The Boeing 757
jetliner
, with a wingspan of 155 feet (47.2 m), touched down at 130 knots (254.8 km/h) near the intersection of taxiways Z and R, rolled out and came to a stop without incident. It then taxied to the gate where all passengers were deplaned. According to the FAA, all lighting systems associated with runway 29 and taxiway Z were operating normally at the time. Runway 29, the intended landing runway, is 150 feet (45.7 m) wide and 6800 feet (2,072.6 m) long.
The incident was investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board
(NTSB), which as part of its investigation conducted a flight around the airport, to evaluate the lighting and visibility of the runways and taxiways. In its final report, the NTSB issued the following Probable Cause statement:
Both pilots were grounded by the airline after the incident but were returned to duty after retraining.
Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines was a major American airline now merged with United Airlines. On May 3, 2010, Continental Airlines, Inc. and UAL, Inc. announced a merger via a stock swap, and on October 1, 2010, the merger closed and UAL changed its name to United Continental Holdings, Inc...
Flight 1883 was a Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
757-224
Boeing 757
The Boeing 757 is a mid-size, narrow-body twin-engine jet airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Passenger versions of the twinjet have a capacity of 186 to 289 persons and a maximum range of , depending on variant and cabin configuration...
, registration N17105, on a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
to Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
, with 148 passengers and 6 crew on board, which mistakenly landed on a taxiway
Taxiway
A taxiway is a path on an airport connecting runways with ramps, hangars, terminals and other facilities. They mostly have hard surface such as asphalt or concrete, although smaller airports sometimes use gravel or grass....
at Newark Liberty International Airport
Newark Liberty International Airport
Newark Liberty International Airport , first named Newark Metropolitan Airport and later Newark International Airport, is an international airport within the city limits of both Newark and Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States...
, on the evening of October 28, 2006. There were no reported injuries or damage, but the narrowly-averted disaster was investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board
National Transportation Safety Board
The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incidents, certain types of highway crashes, ship and marine...
, and caused the Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
to reevaluate and modify air and ground safety procedures at and around Newark Airport.
Flight history
Flight 1883 was cleared for the ILSInstrument Landing System
An instrument landing system is a ground-based instrument approach system that provides precision guidance to an aircraft approaching and landing on a runway, using a combination of radio signals and, in many cases, high-intensity lighting arrays to enable a safe landing during instrument...
22L instrument approach
Instrument approach
For aircraft operating under instrument flight rules , an instrument approach or instrument approach procedure is a series of predetermined maneuvers for the orderly transfer of an aircraft under instrument flight conditions from the beginning of the initial approach to a landing, or to a point...
, circle-to-land runway 29. This required descending southwest towards runway 22L, followed by a low altitude circling maneuver to land on runway 29 to the west. As the flight crew descended and turned toward the airport, they misidentified the runway and landed instead on 75 feet (22.9 m) wide taxiway Z at 1831 EDT, about 30 minutes after sunset. The Boeing 757
Boeing 757
The Boeing 757 is a mid-size, narrow-body twin-engine jet airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Passenger versions of the twinjet have a capacity of 186 to 289 persons and a maximum range of , depending on variant and cabin configuration...
jetliner
Jetliner
Jetliner are an alternative rock band from the USA. They focus on melodic piano based rock and have been compared to Queen and early Elton John, being heavily influenced by early 70s rock. Composed of Adam Paskowitz of The Flys, son of Doc Paskowitz, on piano and lead vocals, Jeff Kluesner on...
, with a wingspan of 155 feet (47.2 m), touched down at 130 knots (254.8 km/h) near the intersection of taxiways Z and R, rolled out and came to a stop without incident. It then taxied to the gate where all passengers were deplaned. According to the FAA, all lighting systems associated with runway 29 and taxiway Z were operating normally at the time. Runway 29, the intended landing runway, is 150 feet (45.7 m) wide and 6800 feet (2,072.6 m) long.
Investigation
National Transportation Safety Board
The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incidents, certain types of highway crashes, ship and marine...
(NTSB), which as part of its investigation conducted a flight around the airport, to evaluate the lighting and visibility of the runways and taxiways. In its final report, the NTSB issued the following Probable Cause statement:
The flight crew's misidentification of the parallel taxiway as the active runway, resulting in the flight crew executing a landing on the taxiway. Contributing was the night lighting conditions
Aftermath
This rare event caused a reassessment of differential runway and taxiway lighting, as well as arrival procedures at Newark airport. The NTSB noted in its report that as a result of the incident, the FAA instituted two types of changes in its procedures, in the air and on the ground, to reduce the chance of a recurrence. In the air, the FAA added two new arrival procedures, GIMEE 19-7-1 and GRITY 19-7-1A, which it expects will provide improved navigational guidance to the runway under similar conditions. On the ground, the FAA and airport officials increased the difference between the lighting intensities of taxiways and runways, to enable pilots to better differentiate between them under low light conditions.Both pilots were grounded by the airline after the incident but were returned to duty after retraining.