Boeing Jumbo Jet From NYC To Kansas Lands At Wrong Airport
WICHITA, Kan. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A non-commercial airline flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport to an Air Force base in Kansas ended up landing on the wrong runway at the wrong airport, officials said.
The Boeing 747 jumbo jet, which was carrying parts for the company's new 787 Dreamliner, was scheduled to land at McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita Wednesday evening.
Instead, it landed at Col. James Jabara Airport, about 8 miles north of its intended target.
The two-person crew was not injured and the airplane and airport property were not damaged, officials said.
Investigators worked through the night to figure out how to get the jumbo jet out of the airport because Jabara's runway is just 6,101 feet long, much shorter than is ideal for an aircraft of that size.
"They've assured us they've run all the engineering calculations, performance and the aircraft is very safe for a normal departure at it's current weight and conditions here," said Brad Christopher of the Wichita Airport Authority.
The jet eventually took off for its original destination Thursday afternoon.
The Federal Aviation Administration plans to investigate the deviation.
The plane is operated by Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, based in Rye.
Atlas Air spokeswoman Bonnie Rodney did not immediately return early Thursday calls and an email from The Associated Press seeking comment. Boeing spokesman Marc Birtel said he could not immediately provide any information on how or why the jumbo jet landed at Jabara.
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