ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 370373
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| Date: | Tuesday 24 February 2004 |
| Time: | 10:30 LT |
| Type: |  Boeing 737-3H4 |
| Owner/operator: | Southwest Airlines |
| Registration: | N368SW |
| MSN: | 26579/2473 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1993 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 36024 hours |
| Engine model: | General Electric CFM-56 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 94 |
| Aircraft damage: | None |
| Category: | Serious incident |
| Location: | Seattle, WA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | Oakland International Airport, CA (OAK/KOAK) |
| Seattle/Tacoma International Airport, WA (SEA/KSEA) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
While west of the airport, the flight crew was cleared for the Bay Visual Approach to Runway 16 Right. The First Officer, who was flying at the time, made a right turn over Elliott Bay and lined up on what he believed to be Runway 16 Right, but was in fact Taxiway Tango. When the aircraft was about one mile from the end of the taxiway, the first officer noticed a yellow X located just off the northern end of the surface he intended to land on. Upon realizing he was lined up on the wrong surface, he initiated a sidestep to Runway 16 Right. He subsequently completed an uneventful landing on Runway 16 Right, and taxied to the gate for a normal deplanement of the passengers. According to recorded radar tracking data, at the time of the turn to initiate the sidestep, the aircraft was approximately 600 feet above the ground (AGL). The size and shape of the taxiway made it look very much like a runway to the First Officer, and although he was eventually able to see the Runway 16 Right identification markings, because of the glare on the wet surfaces, he never did clearly see any markings that indicated Taxiway Tango was a taxiway. Although the Captain had correctly identified the runway surface when the aircraft first rolled out on final, flight deck distractions kept him from realizing that the first Officer was lined up on the taxiway until the sidestep maneuver was initiated.
Probable Cause: The First Officer's misidentification of the parallel taxiway as the active runway, resulting in the need for a sidestep maneuver while on short final for a full-stop landing. Factors include sun-glare from wet paved surfaces, a visual illusion created by the size and shape of the taxiway, and the Captain's failure to adequately monitor the First Officer's approach.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB SEA04IA045
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 4 August 2016 | N368SW | Southwest Airlines | 0 | Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, MD (BWI) | |
sub |
| Damaged on the ground | ||||||
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 25-Mar-2024 10:01 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
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