Radio communications recorded just before last week’s fatal accident at Midway reveal that some pilots and air-traffic controllers were concerned about the worsening snowstorm and discussed whether they could change the runway configuration to escape a tailwind that increased the stopping distance of planes landing, the Tribune has learned.
The only possible runway switch at Midway would have caused an air-traffic logjam, curtailing the use of a major departure runway at O’Hare about 15 miles away, officials said. Swapping runway operations also would have added to the serious weather-related flight delays at both airports.
Only one Midway runway was open Thursday night when a Southwest Airlines plane skidded across the airfield and smashed through a jet-engine blast barrier and a perimeter fence, striking cars on a busy street. Joshua Woods, a 6-year-old Indiana boy who was in one of the cars, was killed on impact, and 10 people were hurt.
Midway flights were restricted to the one runway because city crews could not de-ice and plow other runways fast enough to keep up with the falling and blowing snow. Midway, surrounded by residential neighborhoods, can be a tricky airport for pilots. It is known for planes approaching fast and low over homes onto relatively short runways.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating why the Federal Aviation Administration, the Chicago Department of Aviation and the airlines serving Midway did not implement a runway plan that would have boosted safety by putting a headwind against the noses of planes landing, investigators said.
“Our air-traffic group is looking at the decision-making process and how they decided which runway to use and which ones not to use,” safety board spokesman Keith Holloway said Sunday. “We are also examining the responses between the pilots and the air-traffic controllers and what they viewed as the conditions of the runway.”
The general rule to always try to land and take off into the wind is one of the first lessons a pilot receives, and many airlines demand it if winds are strong or other conditions are present. A plane moves slower over the ground when landing against the wind, decreasing the distance it needs to stop. In a headwind, a plane also encounters more airflow over the wings, helping to produce lift during takeoffs.
“I find it hard to believe that any airline pilot would knowingly land in such a tailwind under any conditions, and most certainly not at Midway on a slippery runway,” said Tom Bunn, a retired captain who flew for United and Pan Am for 30 years.
Air-traffic radio tapes show that at least several pilots Thursday night asked if the option were available to land into a headwind to help slow aircraft instead of being faced with a 10-mph tailwind that buffeted the plane at an angle, said sources close to the NTSB investigation.
Investigators will look at whether visibility rules set by the FAA for Midway permitted the use of a different landing configuration.
The pilots of the Southwest plane, Flight 1248 from Baltimore, reported a normal approach to Midway, and they did not request a change in runway, said Robert Benzon, the safety board’s investigator-in-charge for the accident.
One of the lawyers representing the family of Joshua Woods on Sunday blamed the Southwest pilots for choosing to land at Midway under miserable weather conditions.
“That night demanded perfection,” said Ronald Stearney, the attorney hired by Leroy and Lisa Woods of Leroy, Ind. “This was a terrible night to be landing.”
Safety board investigators are beginning what is expected to be a yearlong investigation examining issues including the weather, snow removal, aircraft performance, mechanical systems and human factors.
Southwest Airlines did not return phone calls or pages Sunday seeking comment.
Passengers forced off O’Hare plane
A Ted airlines plane nearly ran off a taxiway Saturday night at O’Hare, forcing passengers to evacuate. Flight 1568, bound for Tampa, had pulled away from the gate at around 9 p.m. and was on the taxiway when it came close to a grassy area, officials said.
The pilot stopped the Airbus 320 on the taxiway and as a precaution, officials said, passengers were asked to disembark.
The 68 passengers and five crew members were bused back to the terminal.
