In an unusual incident earlier this month, pilots of a Republic Airways flight inadvertently reached out to the incorrect air traffic control tower while approaching New York’s LaGuardia Airport. This mix-up has caught the attention of both aviation authorities and the media.
The flight in question, Delta Connection 5752 operated by Republic Airways, was on its final approach to LaGuardia Airport on March 15. However, the pilots mistakenly contacted the air traffic control tower at John F. Kennedy Airport, which is situated approximately 10 miles from LaGuardia, as reported by CBS News.
Audio recordings from the air traffic control revealed the confusion among JFK controllers, who were understandably puzzled about why a flight destined for LaGuardia from Washington, D.C., was reaching out to them for landing instructions.
During the exchange, the flight’s pilot identified themselves with, “Brickyard 5752, LaGuardia Tower,” prompting a JFK controller to respond with, “Brickyard 5752. I’m sorry, where are you?” The pilot then confirmed their position, saying, “2-mile final, Brickyard 5752.”
Perplexed, the JFK tower controller further questioned, “2-mile final where?” highlighting the extent of the confusion caused by the miscommunication.
“2-mile final where?” the JFK tower controller asked.
“Runway 4,” said the pilot.
“At LaGuardia?” the controller asked, to which the pilot confirmed, “Yes, ma’am.”
“This is Kennedy Tower, please go to LaGuardia Tower,” the controller quickly responded.
“Oh my goodness. Alright,” the pilot said.
“That’s crazy,” another pilot uttered.
A spokesperson for Republic Airways told The Post that the flight initiated a go-around after the slip-up and landed at LaGuardia Airport without incident. Delta Airlines confirmed its flight crew was not aboard the aircraft.
“If the airplane would have landed at LaGuardia without receiving landing clearance, it would have been a very bad mistake,” Robert Sumwalt, a former National Transportation Safety Board chairman, told CBS.
“I flew for 31 years, I was an airline pilot for 24 years, [and] I’ve not heard of this particular error occurring. We want to learn from it, so we can keep it from happening again,” Sumwalt said.
The mix-up happened exactly a week before Air Canada Express Flight 8646 smashed into a Port Authority truck on LaGuardia Airport’s Runway 4 — killing two pilots and injuring 41 others.
