Pilot pleaded to evacuate stranded passengers
MINNEAPOLIS — Continental Express Flight 2816 smelled like diapers. It had no food and a full toilet. Its 47 passengers had been stranded on a tarmac in southern Minnesota since after midnight.
“They are getting really upset — you know, with the plane,” the captain told her dispatcher just before 3 a.m. on Aug. 8.
Recordings released Friday of conversations among the captain, dispatcher and staff for another airline at the Rochester, Minn., airport expose a breakdown that kept the plane sitting on the tarmac for almost six hours — for no clear reason — and triggered a Department of Transportation investigation.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood released the recordings along with conclusions from his department’s investigation exonerating ExpressJet, the regional carrier that operated the flight for Continental Airlines.
Instead, he criticized Mesaba Airlines — which was in charge because it had the only employees left at the airport — for refusing to let the passengers inside the terminal because all security personnel had left for the night.
“There was a complete lack of common sense here,” LaHood added. “It’s no wonder the flying public is so angry and frustrated.”
The plane left Houston at 9:23 p.m. Aug. 7 and was scheduled to arrive in Minneapolis by midnight. Instead, severe thunderstorms forced air controllers to divert the plane south to Rochester, where it landed about 12:30 a.m.
It received clearance to take off at 2 a.m., but the storms started again.
The captain called dispatchers in Houston 45 minutes later.
“Well, the weather is moving in here now,” she said. “So I mean this is getting to be ridiculous. We can see lightning off — I mean, the weather is moving southeast. It’s moving here right down on top of us.”
When dispatch called back 12 minutes later, she asked if a bus was coming to take passengers to Minneapolis, about 85 miles away. Dispatch said flash flooding had made the roads impassable.
The recordings show dispatchers trying to persuade officials for Mesaba, a unit of Delta Air Lines of Atlanta, to allow passengers inside. Passengers from an earlier flight diverted to Rochester had been allowed to deplane and were driven by bus to Minneapolis.
However, Mesaba officials said there were no more buses available.
“I can’t get her a bus, I can’t do anything,” said a Mesaba representative.
“You can’t do anything for her? OK,” said the ExpressJet dispatcher.
“No.”
“Because she was saying nobody was letting her off the airplane, letting the people off the airplane and all that,” the dispatcher continued.
“We can’t — I mean we were just able to let these guys off. We can’t get them a bus. If I can’t secure them a bus, I can’t have them in a closed airport,” the Mesaba representative replied.
Eight minutes later: “I just spoke to (Mesaba’s representative) out there and she says there is nothing she can do to help us out,” the dispatcher told the captain. “She’s not going to let them off the airplane.”
The exasperated captain replied: “That’s ridiculous.”
Just after 4 a.m., about four hours into the ordeal, passenger Eleanor Thatcher said she remembered one of her husband’s former high school students was Steven Leqve, manager of the Rochester airport. She said she called his home. “I wanted him to know what was going on,” she said, adding that Leqve agreed to come to the airport.
At 5 a.m., the flight got clearance again. But by then, its crew had worked more than the legal limit of hours. Another crew had to be flown in.
Passengers were kept waiting until 6 a.m. before they could enter the terminal. It took another 2½ hours for the passengers to re-board the same plane — still with a full, smelly toilet — to head to Minneapolis. They landed at 9:15 a.m., almost half a day after leaving Houston.
Mesaba CEO John Spanjers said he disagreed with the department’s conclusions, which do not match his airline’s understanding of the event. In a statement, Delta CEO Richard Anderson said he has reached out to Continental’s chairman and CEO about the incident.
“Delta is working with Mesaba to conduct an internal investigation, continue our full cooperation with the DOT and share all the facts with Continental,” Anderson said.
Leqve reiterated on Friday that the passengers could have come into the terminal at any time.
“The aircraft did eventually come to the building,” he said. “And the passengers were offloaded.”
ExpressJet spokeswoman Kristy Nicholas said the airline will now keep contact information on file for airport administrators.
“That is one of our lessons learned,” she said in an e-mail.
Continental has issued each passenger a refund for the flight, a $200 travel voucher and a $50 American Express Gift Card, said Link Christin, who was also on the flight.
Christin said the incident was a clear example of why more safeguards are necessary for passengers.
“To me, the critical issue is not who’s to blame, but to figure out what happened and how it could be prevented in the future,” said Christin, a lecturer at William Mitchell College of Law.
____
Associated Press Writer Joan Lowy contributed to this report from Washington, D.C.
Related News
NY-bound Lufthansa flight turns back to Frankfurt after oil leak reportedSeptember 19th, 2009 NY-bound Lufthansa jet turns back after oil leakFRANKFURT — A New York-bound Boeing 747 operated by German airline Deutsche Lufthansa AG turned back in mid-flight Saturday after the pilot reported that one if the plane's four engines was leaking oil. The airline said Saturday that the plane, carrying 334 passengers from Frankfurt to New York, was over Greenland when the pilot made the decision to turn back although the plane could have flown onward to New York's John F.
Small plane crashes at Hayward airport shortly after takeoff; pilot uninjuredSeptember 16th, 2009 Small plane crashes at Hayward airportHAYWARD, Calif. — Authorities say a pilot walked away unharmed when his small plane crashed and caught fire shortly after takeoff from California's Hayward Executive Airport.
47 passengers spend 'nightmare' 6 hours stuck on airport tarmac; Continental apologizesAugust 10th, 2009 47 spend 'nightmare' 6 hours in grounded planeMINNEAPOLIS —Forty-seven passengers were forced to sit in a cramped, smelly plane on an airport tarmac for six hours after their flight was diverted because of bad weather. The Friday night Continental Express flight from Houston to Minneapolis scheduled to take just 2½ hours, but the plane was diverted to Rochester airport because of stormy weather and landed around midnight.
Continental Airlines to give refunds, vouchers to fliers stuck on tarmac in MinnesotaAugust 10th, 2009 Continental offers refunds to stranded fliersMINNEAPOLIS —Continental Airlines is apologizing to passengers who were stuck on the tarmac for six hours when a Houston-to-Minneapolis flight was diverted because of bad weather. Continental says the incident was "completely unacceptable." The airline is also offering refunds and vouchers.
Passengers hug pilot after hole in Southwest plane's fuselage forces emergency landing in WVaJuly 14th, 2009 Passengers hug pilot for safe landing despite holeCHARLESTON, W.Va. — Passengers on a Southwest Airlines plane applauded and hugged the pilot for a safe emergency landing in West Virginia after a football-sized hole appeared in the fuselage.
Pilot just missed runway and died in small plane crash at Minnesota airportJune 17th, 2009 Pilot killed in Minnesota plane crashCRYSTAL, Minn. — Authorities say the pilot of a small airplane was killed trying to land in pouring rain at a Minnesota airport.
Small plane crashes upon landing at Minnesota airport; 1 person believed deadJune 17th, 2009 Small plane crashes in Minnesota, 1 believed deadCRYSTAL, Minn. — Authorities believe the pilot of a small plane has been killed after it crashed upon landing at a Minnesota airport.
Officials: Twin Cities computer executive died in plane crash at Minn. airportJune 17th, 2009 Twin Cities executive identified as pilot killedCRYSTAL, Minn. — Officials have identified the pilot of a small plane who was killed trying to land on a rainy night at a Minnesota airport.
China Eastern Airline passengers complain of being stranded at Los Angeles airport for 2 daysJune 3rd, 2009 Airline passengers stuck at LA airport for 2 daysLOS ANGELES — A China Eastern Airlines flight to Shanghai was scheduled to leave Los Angeles on Tuesday after being delayed nearly three days and stranding 279 passengers. Johnny Qian, manager of the airline's local office, said the original flight Sunday afternoon was canceled because a light indicated a nose landing gear problem.
China Eastern Airline flight leaves for China after being stranded at LA airport over 2 daysJune 3rd, 2009 Flight stuck at LA airport 2 days bound for ChinaLOS ANGELES — A China Eastern Airlines flight to Shanghai has finally left Los Angeles after being delayed almost three days and stranding 279 passengers. Local airline manager Johnny Qian (chehn) said the original flight Sunday afternoon was canceled because a light indicated a nose landing gear problem.
Plane from Mexico held on Md. tarmac as officials examine 2 ill passengers out of cautionApril 29th, 2009 Plane from Mexico held to check 2 ill passengersLINTHICUM, Md. — Airport officials say 117 passengers were briefly detained on an AirTran Airways plane that flew to a Maryland airport from Mexico because two people on board were sick.
Jamaica hostage taker releases all plane passengersApril 20th, 2009 KINGSTON - An armed hostage-taker Monday released all passengers aboard a charter plane at an airport on the Caribbean island of Jamaica, media reports said. The news channel CNN reported that the man was still holding five crew members of the Boeing 737 stationed on the tarmac at Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay.
Two killed as cargo plane crashes at Tokyo airportMarch 23rd, 2009 TOKYO - The pilot and co-pilot of a Federal Express cargo plane were killed Monday in a fiery landing at Narita airport near Tokyo, media reports said, citing official information. CNN showed footage of the crippled plane bouncing twice, as it veered off the runway aflame.
Scare at Patna airport as grass catches fire from plane exhaustFebruary 12th, 2009 PATNA/NEW DELHI - There was a scare at Patna airport Friday as a patch of grass caught fire as a plane was taxiing after landing. The fire was put out before it could cause any loss or injury.
`We may end up in Hudson', said pilot before crashingFebruary 5th, 2009 NEW YORK - Cockpit recordings of the ill-fated US Airways plane that crashed in the Hudson River last month reveal that the pilot calmly advised air traffic controllers, 'We're going to be in the Hudson'. The Airbus 320 plane crashed in New York's Hudson River Jan 15 after losing both engines, apparently hit by a flock of birds, after taking off from LaGuardia Airport.
Loading ...