Air Force One Sits On Runway Next To Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s Plane, Then Has Shaky Landing In Ohio
Air Force One was forced to abort its first landing attempt in Ohio on Wednesday, running into turbulence as it approached the runway.
The Air Force One landing took place near Toledo where President Obama was traveling for a campaign event, CNN.com reported. The jumbo jet was within sight of the runway when its pilot pulled up and circled the airport, reporters on board noted.
Radio recordings on the website LiveATC.net caught the drama as the pilot announced to air traffic controllers, “Air Force One, missed the approach.”
“We’d like radar vectors back around,” the pilot then said.
The FAA called the Air Force One landing a “routine missed approach due to weather,” and, on its second attempt, it was able to land safely. There was reportedly fog and mist around the airport with clouds at 400 feet.
Air Force One wasn’t the only campaign-related aircraft to come into trouble this week. A private airplane carrying Ann Romney, wife of Mitt Romney, had to make an emergency landing in Denver after it encountered an electrical problem.
The Air Force One trip to Toledo was also memorable in another way, the New York Observer reported. Press pool reports noted that the plane passed by the jet being used by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at Andrews Air Force base in Maryland.
“As Air Force One taxied down the runway at Andrews, plane passed Iran Air, which is parked at the air base, presumably waiting there before spiriting Mahmoud Ahmadinejad home. The Iranian plane is a handsome-looking white 747,” wrote pool reporter Helene Cooper of The New York Times.
