A pilot’s surprised response was recorded on the air traffic control audio after a Delta flight mistakenly contacted the control tower at John F. Kennedy Airport while attempting to land at LaGuardia.
On March 15, Republic Airways Flight 5752 was nearing its landing when the pilot realized he was communicating with the JFK control tower, which is about 10 miles away.
This surprising incident came to light through air traffic control audio.
The audio also included another pilot expressing disbelief as he asked for permission to land.
“That’s crazy,” the unidentified pilot remarked following the unexpected exchange.
Controllers at JFK were bewildered when Flight 5752 asked to land.
“Who is that? Sorry, where are you?” the air traffic controller was heard asking.
“Last two miles, Brickyard 5752,” the pilot stated.
“Where is the 2-mile final?” the JFK tower controller inquired.
“Runway 4,” the pilot responded.
“At LaGuardia?” the controller asked, to which the pilot confirmed, “Yes, ma’am.”
“This is Kennedy Tower. Please go to LaGuardia Tower,” the controller replied swiftly.
“Oh my god, I understand,” the pilot acknowledged.
Afterwards, the flight was redirected to LaGuardia and landed safely.
LaGuardia’s team then successfully communicated with the pilots, confirming they were on the right frequency this time.
“Yes, number 5752. We’ll take a detour,” the pilot mentioned.
A spokesperson for Republic Airways informed that after the mix-up, the flight performed a go-around and landed at LaGuardia without issues.
Delta Air Lines confirmed that no crew members were on board at the time. The Federal Aviation Administration is looking into the incident.
This confusion happened just a week prior to an incident where Air Canada Express Flight 8646 collided with a Port Authority truck on LaGuardia’s Runway 4, leading to two fatalities and injuries to 41 others.
