Wrong surface landings occur at an alarming rate of roughly one every other day, according to FAA officials. When pilots approach an airport for landing, there are opportunities for miscommunication and visual mistakes that can lead to the aircraft arriving on the wrong surface.
“Our data shows that 85% of wrong surface landings involve general aviation aircraft and 89% of those events occur during daytime hours in VFR conditions,” FAA officials say.
As a NEW pilot I have only flown C-150’s and now I own a C-150, I have never flown anything other than a C-150. (scared to death to fly anything else…he he) I fly around, under, and even through Bravo Airspace. And when I do I listen very carefully to what ATC tells me and read-back word for word. Sometime I have to descend to below 5000′ to fly under the Bravo Airspace and ATC will call me and ask me when I intend to start my decent……….I now understand that they are NOT asking me a question but they are giving me a HINT that I should start my decent now.
In my flying career as a line captain and Instructor/Examiner, I get to fly with pilots with different makes, personalities, attitudes, type experience and training. I have noticed pilots who come from fighter backgrounds with no concept, exposures and experiences in airline flying have big problem doing visual approaches. Sometimes visibility is more fifty miles and ATC requests if able to take visual approaches. Many of them flatly refuse when they are flying high, need to descend and more then went miles for the airport. They cannot decide when to start slowing down, configuring the aircraft. They cannot just comprehend the concept of distance versus altitude and. Sometimes ATC vectors the aircraft to join downwind in visual conditions expecting to hear ‘runway in sight..request visual” but then again it is a flat refusal. Pilots need to descend to circuit altitude, configure the aircraft for landing, look outside too (very important), start the turns, fly the numbers by feel of the aircraft and turn final for landing. VFR approaches are so much fun if you know how to do them. But unfortunately for many of these pilots, it is not possible. Most rely on vectored IFR approaches because ATC tells when to descend, what heading to fly and other actions for flight configurations are spelt out in the SOP.