Boeing 767 Pilots Tried to Land on Wrong Runway at New York JFK

NEW YORK- ABX Air (GB) Boeing 767-300, registration N363CM, was cleared to land on Runway 13L at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) after operating flight ABX480 from Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG). The crew instead lined up toward Runway 13R, where other aircraft were operating.

The Kennedy Tower controller spotted the runway alignment and ordered ABX480 to go around from about 600 feet. The incident occurred while one aircraft was departing Runway 13R and another was holding in position, creating a significant runway conflict risk.

ABX Air Boeing 767 Pilots Tried to Land on Wrong Runway at New York JFK — Photo: By Comyu – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3992263

ABX Air Boeing 767 Makes Go-Around at JFK

ABX480, operated by ABX Air, arrived at JFK during a period of active runway operations. The Boeing 767-300 had been cleared by Kennedy Tower to land on Runway 13L.

The flight crew acknowledged the clearance, stating that ABX480 was cleared to land on Runway 13L. However, the aircraft subsequently lined up toward Runway 13R instead of the assigned runway.

At the same time, Kennedy Tower was managing departures and runway movements on 13R. The controller cleared one aircraft for takeoff from Runway 13R and instructed another aircraft to line up and wait.

See more of our coverage in your search results.

Add Aviation A2Z on Google ↗

The tower controller then identified ABX480’s approach toward the wrong runway and intervened.

Tower Controller Orders ABX480 to Go Around

The controller instructed ABX480 to go around and fly runway heading. The aircraft was approximately 600 feet above the ground when the instruction was issued.

The radio exchange shows the controller saying:

ABX 488, just fly runway heading, go around, fly runway heading.

The aircraft then turned left toward a heading of 090 as instructed. The controller subsequently advised ABX480 that traffic was departing Runway 13R and instructed the Boeing 767 to maintain 3,000 feet.

ABX480 acknowledged the instructions and was transferred to New York Approach for resequencing.

The sequence prevented the Boeing 767 from continuing its approach toward the occupied runway environment.

Runway 13R Had Active Traffic

The situation was particularly significant because Runway 13R was being used for departures at the time.

The tower communication indicates that one aircraft had received takeoff clearance for Runway 13R. Another aircraft was instructed to line up and wait on the same runway.

This meant that the runway ABX480 was approaching was not available for the Boeing 767 to land. The controller’s intervention therefore became necessary to keep the arriving aircraft away from the active runway.

The available radio recording does not establish why the ABX Air crew initially aligned toward 13R rather than 13L. The exact cause of the runway misalignment was not provided in the supplied material.

Boeing KC-46A Pegasus — Photo: By Masahiro TAKAGI from Ichikawa, Chiba, Japan – DSC08250, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=52445818

ABX480 Was Resequenced for Another Approach

After the go-around, ABX480 was instructed to maintain 3,000 feet and contact New York Approach on 125.7.

The crew reported to Approach at 3,000 feet while flying a heading of 090. The aircraft was subsequently brought back toward JFK for another landing attempt.

The later radio communication shows ABX480 reporting on the RNF X-ray 22L approach. Kennedy Tower then cleared the Boeing 767 to land on Runway 22L with winds reported from 150 degrees at 5 knots.

The aircraft was therefore able to continue its flight after the go-around and was eventually cleared to land on another runway.

Ground Movement After the Second Landing

Following the later landing, the tower provided ABX480 with taxi instructions involving Runway 13R and a turn toward Julia.

The controller advised the crew that the routing would be unusual and instructed the aircraft to cross Runway 13R before making the required turn. The crew acknowledged the instructions and repeated the unusual routing.

The tower later advised ABX480 that there could have been a possible policy deviation and instructed the crew to contact Kennedy Tower for additional information.

The supplied communication does not provide the final findings of any investigation or identify a confirmed cause for the initial runway misalignment.

ATC and Pilots Comms

Time	Speaker	Transcript