San Francisco International Airport, 4 aircrafts was waiting for permission to take off which was full of passengers. Suddenly then noticed a aircraft which is coming towards them, but the pilots of that 4 aircraft thought that the pilot of Air Canada 759 will align themself with his own route. But it didn’t happened, the aircraft was getting closer and a huge impact was about to take place with all the 5 planes. Air Canada 759 almost crushed!
How that kind of impact took place?
Well the reason of that incident can be divided in some parts to understand better. Such as
1. Location of the airport
2. Experience of the pilots
3. The misunderstanding
4. How they got saved
1. Location of the Airport
SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT has 4 runways. But at a time only 2 runways remain available to use due to wind and other natural reasons. The runway selection mainly depend on the direction of the wind, because planes always land or take off against wind. And there was a taxiway beside those runways. Where 4 planes was waiting for take off.
2. Experience of the pilots
The two pilots was so experienced and landed many times in SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, but that day was totally not normal like others. When they reached near the airports , they request for permission to land and they got approved.
3. The misunderstanding for Air Canada 759 almost crushed
In that day the wind was from west direction so the west runway got selected for landing. But there was also 2 runway in west sector and a taxi area was located beside that runways, which was about 100 meters away from that. and the taxiway was full of planes which was waiting for take off clearance.
But for some construction work, one of the two runway was closed, but for any reason the light was closed of that runways. And the light of taxiway was visible so it seems like the two runway was clear , but one of those runways was taxiway.
when the AC-759 got approval for landing, the pilots thought that the two runway was active, but one of those was a taxiway , what they didn’t noticed. So they aligned themself to the right runway but that was the taxiway. They started to come closer to that taxiway and prepared to land.
All the pilots of those 4 planes which was in taxiway noticed the landing, but they thought that the plane will allign themself to the runway. For that reason, they didn’t response and informed anything. Air Canada 759 almost crushed
4. How they got saved
The AC-759 was getting closer to the taxiway and the pilot of that aircraft didn’t noticed that taxiway. At that moment, one pilot of that taxiway turn on the parking light of one plane. And the control tower then realized what was about to happen, they ordered the pilots to turn over the plane immediately. And the pilot push the aircraft for take off instead of landing, and they got saved for almost just a few seconds.