Air Force Two aborts landing twice in one day
Washington (CNN) - For the second time on Tuesday, the aircraft carrying Vice President Joe Biden was forced to abort its original plan for landing.
Late evening, Air Force Two intended to land at Andrews Air Force Base after Biden spent the day campaigning in North Carolina. But heavy fog over parts of Washington forced the plane to circle skies over Washington for a while - then divert.
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"Due to a low ceiling and visibility below approach minimums, Air Force Two was re-directed to land at Dulles International Airport on the way back from Asheville, North Carolina," a White House official said.
The plane landed without incident some 45 minutes after its intended landing time. In addition to the vice president, others on board included administration officials, members of the military and the traveling press.
The White House official said that Biden would take a motorcade from Dulles to his home at the U.S. Naval Observatory.
After Biden de-planed, he jokingly told reporters, "This will teach you guys to come along with me on a trip. Good luck getting home."
Earlier Tuesday, en route to the first of two campaign events in North Carolina, Air Force Two was forced to abort its initial landing, creating a rough ride and passenger uncertainty over when the plane would land.
After a safe landing, Biden joked at the earlier Charlotte campaign event that the incident had caused "queasy stomachs" for those on board.
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Bumps in the sky !?!
Who was piloting? Paul Ryan?
Bad weather diverts a flight? I am shocked.
Why can't pilots land through the heavy fogs using real-time view google maps? Oh, wait I forgot this is 2012 not 2022. Sorry.
Goodegyptian
Time Traveller
Was Joe telling them how to fly again?
Probabaly, the engine get stuck because Biden put his fêt to the engine
And this is supposed to be news?
Joe was running his mouth and the hot air heated up the engines.........
CNN is this not news. Please stop scarring the general public into thinking our Air Force cant transport our nations leaders. Missed approaches happen daily, and are the result of good decision making by the flight crew to not make a risky landing. The "political reporter" who wrote this probably has no knowledge on aviation, and is not qualified to talk about it. Even more so on a national news site.
Before anyone goes off spouting that it is a message from God, I have been on a plane in fog that tried to land and it wasn't worth it. I have been on a plane that caught fire and we had to evacuate on the runway. Message from God? Maybe. I've taken it as God adding spice and stories I can tell about how amazing He is!
When Mitt is in charge, Air Force Two will have windows you can open when it's too foggy to land!
Thank goodness everything went ok. I don't much care for Vice President Biden but I certainly don't want to see anything
happen to him. He is better than some we have had,
This is news, CNN? "Missed approach" is standard procedure in those situations. Are you trying to make up for largely ignoring the electrical fire (an actual emergency) on Mrs. Romney's plane?
I think Joe was just trying to get more 'hooky' time away from the campaign while still drawing attention to himself at the same time. Brilliant!
I am sure somehow will find some way of making this political rather than just be happy those crews do exactly as they are trained to do – regardless of whose in that office.
Since when are aircraft traffic patterns...news?
Wouldnt ATC advise Air Force 2 or any air craft, of unsafe approach conditions before allowing them to even consider making that airport a choice for landing?
The only unusual factor in this story is that the VP was involved. Flight planning always involves selecting alternate landing sites if airports are fogged in, or are experiencing unsafe weather conditions. Not unusual at all. Now, if the plane had lost an engine, or blew out a landing gear, that would make for a real incidental story. You guys in the media get much too hyped up over nothing.
Hmmm... Biden must've been giving them landing advice.
These pilots have to make critical judgements within seconds. They do a supurb job with whatever is thrown at them.
Why is Biden and Obama using the jets for campaigning.They have their own money for fuel yet we the people or rather tax payers have to pay for it.That is not right.
Glad it landed safely....well, it is vis major....
"Where's the beef?" What's the political significance of this story? Would you have preferred that the pilot cream AF2 into the runway at Andrews instead of making a relatively safe landing at Dulles? Come to think of it...naw...