Giant Plane Accidentally Lands at Tiny Airport, Is Unable to Take Off
A 747 LCF Dreamlifter — the largest plane manufactured by Boeing today — mistakenly touched down at Wichita's Jabara Airport late last night while en route from New York's JFK to McConnell Air Force Base.
The plane, which is designed to transport parts used in the construction of Boeing's 787 Dreamliner, was heading for McConnell AFB because of its proximity to Dreamliner parts manufacturer Spirit AeroSystems.
According to air traffic control audio posted by BuzzFeed, the pilots of the Atlas Air cargo freighter apparently believed they had landed at nearby Beech Factory Airport.
Here is the 747 Dreamlifter's flight information from FlightAware -- Atlas Air #4241 http://t.co/HYspvO2d3l pic.twitter.com/JK1mmqFHdE
— Michael Rusch (@weeddude) November 21, 2013
While it may be embarrassing to land at the wrong airport, it's not nearly as embarrassing as landing at an airport you may not be able to take off from.
Jabara's solitary runway is 6,100-feet in length; the Boeing 747 LCF Dreamlifter requires some 10,000 feet in order to get off the ground.
The latest update from airport officials is that the plane will attempt to take off from Jabara at noon today after being turned around by a tug sent over by Boeing (which briefly broke down on the way).
The plane's remaining cargo will not be offloaded nor will fuel be removed ahead of the takeoff attempt, as officials believe the aircraft's current weight and the runway's length will not be an issue.
Update 2:50 p.m.: The Dreamlister cargo jet has successfully taken off from Jabara, landing safely at McConnell AFB just a few minutes later.
Footage of the specs-pushing takeoff can be seen below: