Confused Delta Pilots Land Jet at Wrong Airport

Confused by thunderstorms and look-alike runways, two Delta Air Lines pilots set their jet down in Frankfort--but they meant to land in Lexington, 19 miles away.

“The pilot stated he was on the ground, but did not know where,” a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said.

“Apparently the pilot made a mistake,” said Phil Miller, a spokesman for the Department of Military Affairs, which is situated at Capital City Airport.

Previous Delta Incidents

The misplaced landing was the latest incident involving Delta in recent weeks. A jet leaving Los Angeles last week fell to about 600 feet above the ocean when the captain inadvertently shut down both engines. And a Delta plane over West Virginia last month reported seeing what the crew thought was a missile pass by.

“We have been busy last week and this week,” said Jackie Pate, Delta manager of public relations in Atlanta.

On Monday, Delta Flight 699 originated in Dallas-Fort Worth, made a scheduled stop in Louisville and took off for its termination at Bluegrass Field in Lexington, where it was cleared for landing.

“Thunderstorms in the area caused the airplane to be routed around them, and as the pilots cleared the storm, they mistakenly took the Frankfort airport for the nearby Lexington facility,” Delta said in a statement issued from its office in Lexington. “Both airports have similar runway alignments and city orientation. Neither has a control tower at that time of night.”

Kentucky was hit with severe thunderstorms until 3 a.m. Tuesday, with winds clocked at 79 m.p.h. in Louisville and 56 m.p.h. in Lexington, the National Weather Service said.

The Boeing 737 jet landed without difficulty at Frankfort at 12:10 a.m. and its 27 passengers and crew of five were bused to Lexington, Delta spokesman Dick Jones said in Atlanta.

The unidentified pilots have been relieved of flying duties while Delta investigates, the airline said.