Boeing 757-224 N17105

Summary

On 28 October 2006 at about 22:31 local time, a Boeing 757-224 registered N17105, operated by Continental Airlines Inc, was involved in an incident near Newark, New Jersey, United States. 154 people were on board and nobody was injured. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

28 October 2006 at 22:31

Classification

Incident

Location

Newark, New Jersey, United States

Nearest airport

Newark International Airport (EWR)

Coordinates

40.6925, -74.1686

Aircraft

Boeing 757-224

Registration

N17105

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Continental Airlines Inc

Operating rule

Part 121: Air Carrier

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Orlando → Newark

Aircraft damage

Not recorded

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

NYC07IA015

Nobody was injured.

The flight crew's misidentification of the parallel taxiway as the active runway, resulting in the flight crew executing a landing on the taxiway. Contributing was the night lighting conditions.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight crew conducted an Instrument Landing System (ILS) approach to runway 22L, during night, visual meteorological conditions. As the airplane descended to an altitude of approximately 8,000 to 9,000 feet, the flight crew was instructed to "circle to land on runway 29." At an altitude of 900 feet, the first officer turned the airplane onto the final approach for runway 29, a 6,800 foot-long, 150-foot-wide asphalt runway. As he rolled the airplane level, he noted four white lights on the PAPI, which the flight crew believed was located to the left of the runway. As the airplane touched down, the captain realized they landed on taxiway Zulu, a 75-foot-wide concrete taxiway, aligned parallel and to the right of runway 29. The incident flight was the first officer's first approach to runway 29. Runway 29 was equipped with high-intensity runway edge lights (HIRL), which were set on step 1 (out of a 5-step system) at the time of the incident. Runway 29 also had centerline lights (CL), and runway end identifier lights (REIL), which were visually confirmed to be on at the time of the incident. The runway 29 PAPI was located on the right side of the runway, as described on the airport information page associated with the instrument procedures for the airport. Taxiway Zulu had green centerline lights, which were set on step 3 (of a 5-step system). In addition, blue reflective markers, defined the edges of taxiway Zulu. According to airport personnel, six aircraft made the same approach, within 10 minutes of the incident aircraft, and landed successfully on runway 29.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.