A year after Branson airport mix-up, NTSB urges preventive measures

Federal aviation regulators are still developing procedural actions in response to the Southwest Airlines pilots who landed at the wrong Branson-area airport early last year.

On Monday, the National Transportation Safety Board recommended controllers take extra precautions issuing landing clearances when pilots may become confused by the location of nearby airports, according to the Wall Street Journal. The safety board also called on the Federal Aviation Administration to enhance radar software to ensure that alerts are issued when a plane veers off an expected landing trajectory.

The recommendations come after the January 2014 incident when the Southwest plane headed for Branson Airport landed at the M. Graham Clark Downtown Airport in Hollister. The touchdown on the noncommercial runway about half the length of the intended landing strip threatened the safety of some 125 passengers.

Citing the latest details released by the safety board, the journal reports the Southwest crew conducted a visual approach but failed to remain vigilant that the jet was heading for the correct strip. Regardless of guidance from controllers, investigators say Southwest pilots were responsible for double-checking their trajectory with onboard navigation systems.
 
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