Possible runway collision?

Can the powers of ATS tell me why are these aircraft all on the runway at the same time ,looks like a Galaxy about to take off while another plane is landing and a smaller plane halfway down.This is in Port au Prince Haiti and i think the pictures are this year after the earthquake.Here are the co-ordinates as i dont know how to embed google earth pictures. 18degrees34'42.58" N 72degrees18'09.21"W or just go to the airport in Port au Prince main runway.

[edit on 16-7-2010 by 12voltz]

i dont see the 4th rotor, maybe its put out of duty and the position doesnt bother anyone, because its not standing in the way there.

Looks like something is about to happen, doesn't it???

reply to post by 12voltz


hisz.rsoe.hu...

Check out that site. I can tell you that runway collisions and airport mishaps happen dozens of time every single day. I can't see Google Earth from here, but I can tell you that it isn't a unique or interesting phenomenon.

Airports are extremely dangerous. We are very lucky that most runway incursions are very minor damage. It is rare that anyone is killed by one, but the frequency is alarming!

LOL!! That is a funny picture. That being said, I am reasonably certain that the entire runway was not photographed at that resolution in one single pass. What you are seeing is the result of multiple photographs pieced together with differant time codes.

reply to post by icepack


What are you looking at?I hope the co-ordinates are right .You should be looking on the main runway starting at the western end,The twin engine jet has a shadow which suggests that it is still in the air.

reply to post by getreadyalready


Having been on commercial flights that have had some close calls, I'd say not only are runway collision close calls more common than we know, but so are mid-air ones.

reply to post by rogerstigers


That was my first thought but the picture seems complete with no change in light effects ,shadows etc.It was obviously a busy time there with all the aid coming in ,so it could be possible there was a conflict

reply to post by 12voltz

i see a helicopter right next to the runway, with one possible missing rotor.

reply to post by icepack

The closest heli to the runway i can see is flying as the shadow is a lot further can you give brief direction ie western end south south side for example.

reply to post by 12voltz

i put in the coordinates that you gave, without the words "degree", like this:
18 34'42.58" N 72 18'09.21"W
if you dont move the google earth screen just zoom in you get right to the helicopter. this helicopter could be flying, true.
what made me wonder was the missing rotor, thats why i thought it could have crashed. but i think, the 4th rotor is just not visible through its movement.



[edit on 16-7-2010 by icepack]

Is there a google earth expert here that can explain if this is a compilation of images because the shadows from the planes all seem to indicate the same time of day.

reply to post by 12voltz


Well, first blush, looking at it as an airline pilot, here's my take:

The jet farthest west looks like a small commuter type (CRJ, for example) that has just crossed the threshold of Runway 10, about to touch down.

Farther down the runway is a turboprop (possibly another commuter-type) that has preceded, and is slowing to make that ninety-degree turnoff, to the passenger terminal.

The large four-engine jet is merely waiting for its opportunity to taxi down to the end, and turn around to make its takeoff.

Note there is NO parallel taxiway adjacent to the runway. This is seen often in under-developed (aka "third world") nations.

(Having that military airplane holding ON the runway would never be an approved operation in most of the major airports of the world. Sometimes standards are more lax, in places like Haiti, apparently).

Both the turboprop and small jet were likely instructed to make that "first turnoff" (that is the terminolgy, usually, in the USA....anything similar would be clear to the pilots).

Here is the airport diagra, from Jeppesen:

port-au-prince.vatcar.org...

Note the total runway length....that distance, to the first turnoff, is doable for both airplanes, and likely common for those who fly in regularly....since it shortens the taxi time in to the terminal.

(Even if the commuter jet went past it a bit, he'd just make a 180 and taxi back to exit). He would certainly be able stop short of the BIG jet. Still, that is a bad situation, and would be rejected by a US (or most other) airline pilots operating in there. We would rather wait, upon seeing that, and not accept a landing clearance with another airplane occupying the runway at any point.

reply to post by weedwhacker


Thankyou weedwhacker ,that puts my mind at rest. I just couldn't see the crj landing in that distance ,but I guess they know what they are doing.