‘Aviation does not tolerate mistakes' Southwest Pilot attempts to take off from taxiway from OIA
At first glance, a runway and a taxiway might seem interchangeable, but for a pilot to confuse the two could have catastrophic consequences.
According to retired airline and fighter pilot Richard Owen, both are long stretches of pavement at an airport. Owen has flown in and out of Orlando International Airport for years as a commercial airline pilot.
'When you're taxing onto the runway, it actually has the runway number painted on it, and the runway is a lot wider than a taxiway,' said Owen.
A runway is for aircrafts to take off and land and is built to withstand extreme speeds, marked with directional numbers, and has a powerful lighting system. Meanwhile, a taxiway is simply a path that guides aircraft to and from the runway. It's narrower, not built for high-speed acceleration, and often cluttered with other planes waiting to depart.
'If there were other aircrafts that were on the taxiway approaching the approach end of the runway, there could have been a serious conflict,' said Owen.
History has seen close calls and tragic accidents from this very error. A single moment of confusion can turn a routine flight into a catastrophe, proving that knowing the difference between a runway and a taxiway isn't just about terminology—it's a matter of life and death.
Thursday, crews and passengers aboard Southwest Airlines flight 3278
were escorted off the plane after aborting takeoff from Orlando International Airport.
The airline stated that the crews mistook the taxiway's surface for the nearby runway. The plane stopped, and passengers were put on another plane for their destination in Albany, N.Y.
When a pilot mistakenly tries to take off from a taxiway, the aircraft could collide with parked planes, ground vehicles, or even buildings.
According to the FAA, an air traffic controller at the airport canceled the takeoff clearance for the flight after the aircraft began its takeoff roll on the taxiway, which runs parallel to the runway.
On a taxiway, the shorter distance may prevent a safe lift-off, leading to an overrun or a crash.
Southwest has stated there were no injuries reported.
Southwest Airlines Statement:
Southwest Airlines Flight 3278 stopped safely on a taxiway at Orlando International Airport this morning after the Crew mistook the surface for the nearby runway. No injuries were reported. Southwest is engaged with the NTSB and FAA to understand the circumstances of the event. The airline accommodated customers on another aircraft to their intended destination of Albany. Nothing is more important to Southwest than the Safety of our Customers and Employees.
The FAA is investigating the incident.
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


CNN
3 hours ago
- CNN
Airlines offering vouchers, new flights for passengers impacted by airport delays during Army parade in DC
Passengers flying through Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Saturday will experience delays as the Army celebrates its 250th birthday with a parade and flyover in Washington, DC. The celebration, which coincides with President Donald Trump's birthday, will impact vehicle and airline traffic. The Federal Aviation Administration said it will issue temporary flight restrictions for the Washington area during the celebration, which begins with a parade at 6:30 p.m. and ends with fireworks at 9:45 p.m. From 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, 65 flights are scheduled to arrive at Reagan airport in Northern Virginia and 39 are scheduled to depart, according to Cirium, an aviation analytics firm. The airport is accommodating for the military flyovers along the parade route and a fireworks display, according to its website. The FAA is working with the Department of Defense to finalize a flyover plan, which will detail the aircraft involved. 'The FAA will implement traffic management initiatives at DCA before, during, and after the event to ensure safety and will facilitate a return to normal operations once the event concludes,' the agency said in a statement. 'During the peak of the celebration, the TMI stops all arrivals and departures.' United Airlines told CNN it is offering a travel waiver for Reagan flyers and is adding two additional departures and two arrivals at Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia as an alternative. Delta Air Lines has a fare-difference waiver for passengers who want to move their booked travel to another day. Southwest Airlines said passengers on the approximately 20 scheduled flights can anticipate some delays, but it is planning for no cancellations. There is also a travel waiver in place for Southwest flyers. Alaska Airlines' exposure is fairly limited during the celebration window, and the airline canceled one flight to San Francisco International Airport and rebooked it to Dulles. It estimates the three flights scheduled during the time frame to be delayed for an hour. The hold on airport traffic comes after the January midair collision between an American Airlines regional jet and an Army Black Hawk military helicopter. The crash, which killed 67 people, led to a ban on helicopter traffic on a four-mile stretch over the Potomac River.


CNN
3 hours ago
- CNN
Airlines offering vouchers, new flights for passengers impacted by airport delays during Army parade in DC
Passengers flying through Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Saturday will experience delays as the Army celebrates its 250th birthday with a parade and flyover in Washington, DC. The celebration, which coincides with President Donald Trump's birthday, will impact vehicle and airline traffic. The Federal Aviation Administration said it will issue temporary flight restrictions for the Washington area during the celebration, which begins with a parade at 6:30 p.m. and ends with fireworks at 9:45 p.m. From 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, 65 flights are scheduled to arrive at Reagan airport in Northern Virginia and 39 are scheduled to depart, according to Cirium, an aviation analytics firm. The airport is accommodating for the military flyovers along the parade route and a fireworks display, according to its website. The FAA is working with the Department of Defense to finalize a flyover plan, which will detail the aircraft involved. 'The FAA will implement traffic management initiatives at DCA before, during, and after the event to ensure safety and will facilitate a return to normal operations once the event concludes,' the agency said in a statement. 'During the peak of the celebration, the TMI stops all arrivals and departures.' United Airlines told CNN it is offering a travel waiver for Reagan flyers and is adding two additional departures and two arrivals at Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia as an alternative. Delta Air Lines has a fare-difference waiver for passengers who want to move their booked travel to another day. Southwest Airlines said passengers on the approximately 20 scheduled flights can anticipate some delays, but it is planning for no cancellations. There is also a travel waiver in place for Southwest flyers. Alaska Airlines' exposure is fairly limited during the celebration window, and the airline canceled one flight to San Francisco International Airport and rebooked it to Dulles. It estimates the three flights scheduled during the time frame to be delayed for an hour. The hold on airport traffic comes after the January midair collision between an American Airlines regional jet and an Army Black Hawk military helicopter. The crash, which killed 67 people, led to a ban on helicopter traffic on a four-mile stretch over the Potomac River.


Gizmodo
15 hours ago
- Gizmodo
What Ending the U.S. Ban on Supersonic Flight Means for the Future of Travel
Passenger aircraft could fly from New York to Los Angeles in around two hours, but there are still challenges that stand in the way. It's been 22 years since the last flight of the Concorde, a now-retired supersonic airliner that flew at a maximum speed of 1,345 miles per hour (2,179 kilometers per hour). At those speeds, you could fly from London to New York City in around three hours. A long-held U.S. ban on supersonic flight over land limited Concorde's routes and continues to restrict commercial aircraft from flying faster than sound over land. Today, those super speedy—and super loud—flights could be making a comeback. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Friday to reverse the 1973 ban on civilian supersonic flights, instructing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to establish a standard for supersonic aircraft noise certification. The decision would make way for faster routes, if companies can figure out ways to make their aircraft quieter and more affordable. When planes fly faster than the speed of sound, Mach 1, or about 767 miles per hour (1,234 kilometers per hour), they create a loud, explosive noise due to the shock waves created by the extreme speeds. It sounds like loud thunder and it would startle people living in cities where supersonic jets fly overhead. As a result, the FAA prohibited supersonic flights of non-military aircraft over land, enacting the measure on April 27, 1973. At the time, aerospace technology wasn't advanced enough to resolve the noise issue; since then, however, research has shown ways to soften the sounds of supersonic flights. Boom, a Colorado-based company, is working on a supersonic airliner, named Boom Overture. Its current prototype, XB-1, is designed to fly at Mach 1.7 while carrying 64 to 80 passengers on board. As the leading U.S. company in the market today, Boom naturally welcomed the decision. In late January, Boom Supersonic flew its experimental aircraft faster than sound for the first time. Boom has seen interest from carriers like American Airlines and United Airlines. Before we get ahead of ourselves, the administration's reversal of the ban came with a set of rules. Trump's executive order directed the FAA to revoke the supersonic speed limit as long as aircraft do not produce an audible sonic boom on the ground. 'The Order instructs the FAA Administrator to establish a standard for supersonic aircraft noise certification that considers community acceptability, economic reasonableness, and technological feasibility,' according to The White House. It also claims that recent developments in aerospace engineering 'make supersonic flight not just possible, but safe, sustainable, and commercially viable.' NASA is working on its own solution to soften the impact of sonic booms. Earlier this year, the agency fired up the engine of its X-59 research aircraft, which is designed to fly faster than sound but with drastically reduced noise. 'People below would hear sonic 'thumps' rather than booms, if they hear anything at all,' NASA wrote in a statement. The plane is designed to reduce the pressure change that flows over the ground, thereby reducing the sound. The X-59's engine is mounted on top of the aircraft, which reduces the amount of noise from the plane that reaches the ground. Aside from the noise, commercial supersonic flight has also been criticized for its negative impact on the environment. Supersonic aircraft consume more fuel. Concorde burned through 22 tons of fuel per hour—twice as much as a Boeing 747, which can carry four times as many passengers, according to Transport & Environment. To help address the negative environmental impact, Boom says its planes will operate on sustainable alternative fuels. That may not fully resolve the issue, as faster planes need to fly at higher altitudes, where the air is thinner and there's less drag and heat generation. At those higher altitudes in Earth's stratosphere, the emissions from the plane would linger up to 20 times longer, according to Aerospace America. NASA says it's working to find solutions for those challenges as well. Supersonic flights are also expensive, with pricey operation costs and premium services at extremely high fares. Concorde, for example, was not considered profitable as the cost of fuel far exceeded the profit made per flight. Airlines hoping to get in on the supersonic action need to figure out a sustainable model to offer customers for a quicker flight. Lifting the ban may have been the first step, but there's still a long way to go before faster routes take off in the skies.