Co-Pilot Of Southwest Wrong-Airport Jet Retiring
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — Officials with Dallas-based Southwest Airlines say the co-pilot of a plane that landed at the wrong airport in January has retired, while the plane's captain has resumed flying.
Airline spokeswoman Brandy King on Monday declined to identify the pilots, each of whom had at least 12 years with Southwest.
Both had been on paid leave after the January 12 incident.
Instead of landing at the main airport in Branson, Mo., they landed at a smaller airport and had to brake hard to stop the Boeing 737 before a steep drop at the end of the shorter runway. No injuries were reported.
An air traffic audio control recording captured the confusion when the plane landed at the wrong airport.
♦♦♦ Click Here To Listen To The Recording ♦♦♦
Federal officials said the pilots told them they mistook the bright runway lights at the smaller airport for the bigger one seven miles away.
(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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