A United Airlines passenger jet bound for Phoenix Sky Harbor had to make an emergency landing at Luke Air Force Base Monday night.
United Airlines flight 2078 — a Boeing 737 inbound from Houston — diverted to Luke Air Force Base, landing at 8:49 p.m. due to severe weather.
Rain and gusty wind resulted in a ground stop at Sky Harbor from around 8:28 p.m. to 9:59 p.m., according to a spokesperson from the airport.
In a statement, the airline says it was the safest course of action and the flight landed uneventfully.
The crew considered landing at a few different airports in the west Valley, including Goodyear and Glendale, but the runways were not long enough for this aircraft.
“We have 160 people on board, fuel remaining 6.4, and they're telling me that I cannot land a Goodyear, not capable for our aircraft,” the pilot said. “So, uh, any where else would you suggest going, sir?”
Then, the air traffic controller suggested the only runway that was big enough.
“If you're an emergency, you're an emergency … They have a 10,000 foot, 150 foot wide runway at Luke Air Force Base," the air traffic controller said.
The United pilot responded, “OK, let's do Luke Air Force Base.”
All 154 passengers were bussed from the base to Sky Harbor. The aircraft was expected to be flown from Luke Air Force Base to Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport on Tuesday.
According to the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System data from the app Flight Deck, at 8:26 p.m., United flight 2078 transmitted they had around 6,300 pounds of fuel on board, which would be less than two hours of flight time. Nine minutes later, the ACARS shows a diversion to Luke.
ACARS uses high-frequency and satellite communications for air to ground communication between the airline’s pilots and dispatchers.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The story has been updated to correct the name of the George Bush Intercontinental Airport.
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