National Transportation Safety Board Releases Reports On 2022 Tulsa International Airport Incident

The National Transportation Safety Board has released investigative reports on an aircraft incident at Tulsa International Airport last year. The reports state a FedEx cargo flight landed on the wrong runway, and the mistake wasn’t recognized by the on duty air traffic controller until the pilot reported he was on the ground, but in the wrong location.

The incident happened in June of 2022, in clear weather at 4 a.m. A FedEx flight inbound from Fort Worth landed on runway 18 right, instead of 18 left. The left runway is 10,000 feet while the right one is 6,100 feet. The pilot recognized the mistake as they slowed 600 feet from the end of the runway.

The files indicate the controller, who was working alone at the time, was guiding another plane on the ground when the FedEx 757 landed. The controller had issued the correct instructions to the approaching plane, but the pilots, flying a visual approach, mis-identified the runway, according to interviews with all involved. A review of flight records by the agency indicated a likely issue with fatigue with both pilots, with the Captain reporting poor sleep over several days before the flight.

Despite the mistake, the plane landed safely without injury or damage to the plane. The mistake prompted the NTSB to launch a full investigation, sending a team of people to Tulsa to examine the airplane, and interview the pilots and controllers, and examine the tower. The report cites the continuing issue of condensation on the windows of the tower at TIA, which was occurring the morning of the incident, but the controller said that was not an issue in this case.