Stuck Cargo Jet Causes More Red Faces At Boeing By Landing At Wrong Airport

A Boeing 747 Dreamlifter cargo jet landed at the wrong airport late Wednesday and may be stuck there for some time.

The giant cargo jet was supposed to land at McConnell air force base in Wichita, but instead touched down at nearby Colonel James Jabara airport.

The runway at Jabara is only 1860 meters (6100 feet) long, which is fine for landing, but may be too short for this particular cargo jet to use for takeoff.

Boeing said in a statement that it would have to send a tug to turn the plane round and that it would release further information later today (Thursday). Once the cargo jet has been turned, Boeing hopes to be able to actually fly it out, according to local news station KWCH.

The Dreamlifter cargo plane usually needs a runway of 2,780 meters (9,119feet) to take off at maximum weight. And, as if being stuck is not enough, the tug dispatched to the airport to turn the jumbo around has broken down en route!

The cargo plane, which landed at Jabara on Wednesday evening, is a modified 747-400 passenger plane. When fully loaded, it can carry more cargo by volume than any other aircraft in the world, according to Boeing.

Boeing uses its fleet of four Dreamlifters to transport assembled parts for its 787 Dreamliner from suppliers around the world. The parts are used for final assembly at Boeing’s factory in Washington state.

The City of Wichita tweeted that no one was injured and there was no damage to property when the cargo plane landed.

It seems that Boeing is simply not lucky when it comes to anything connected to the ill- fated launch of their 787 Dreamliner.

Originally planned to enter service in May 2008, the Dreamliner project suffered from multiple delays. The airliner’s maiden flight took place on December 15, 2009, and it was finally certified safe to fly in 2011. The plane entered commercial service on October 26, 2011.

Since that flight, the Dreamliner has experienced many problems, notably fires on board related to its lithium-ion batteries. On January 16, 2013, the FAA issued an emergency airworthiness directive that grounded all 787s in the United States. Other agencies around the world followed suit.

Followed a revised battery design, the FAA lifted the grounding on April 26, 2013. The 787 returned to passenger service on April 27, 2013.

If ever an aircraft was mis-named, it’s the Dreamliner, which has turned into a nightmare for Boeing.

Having a Boeing Dreamlifter cargo jet stuck in the wrong airport means even more red faces at Boeing