Alaska Airlines pilot mistakes taxiway for runway at Sea-Tac

An Alaska Airlines passenger jet landed on Seattle-Tacoma International Airport’s central taxiway – not the runway – on Dec. 19, the fourth time a pilot has made the error in the history of the airport.

Nobody was hurt in the 8:33 a.m. incident, and the Boeing 737-900, Flight 27 from Chicago, brought all passengers to the terminal without issue.

“It landed safely and taxied to the gate,” said Port of Seattle spokesman Perry Cooper. “Most likely the passengers on board had no idea they landed on a taxiway.”

Both Alaska Airlines (NYSE: ALK) and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the incident, but neither spokesmen for the organizations would elaborate on what happened or whether any actions, if any, have been taken since.

Taxiways are essentially roads that pilots use to drive aircraft between the terminal and their points for takeoff and landing. Some Sea-Tac taxiways cross the runways, while others, such as the one taxiway where Flight 27 landed, run parallel to the runways.

Landing on a taxiway is dangerous. It could cause a collision with aircraft already on the taxiway or about to cross it.

The taxiway crossings have the equivalent of stop signs, and aircraft can’t proceed without an OK from air traffic controllers, but if a plane were already half-way across when another was coming in to land, it could result in a collision.

Culled: bizjournal