Delta Air Lines said the flight was slightly off the total path as air traffic control managed heavy traffic congestion and a large number of special maneuver requests along the eclipse's path. Another Delta flight from Austin was allowed to climb to the appropriate altitude to complete a maneuver called an S-curve, but the Dallas flight was not, the airline said.
The Federal Aviation Administration did not comment specifically on Delta's flight path, but said the agency is focused on safety as jets and commercial planes take to the skies to view the eclipse above the clouds. Ta. The FAA had previously warned of the potential for congestion and impacts to air traffic.
“Our first goal and top priority is always the safety of our flights,” said FAA spokesman Chris Mulley. “We knew some traffic could be affected.”
Instead of a scheduled maneuver, Delta Air Lines' Airbus A321neo flew in a circle to check on both sides from 33,000 feet. However, passengers did not get the view they had hoped for.
“I immediately suspected that there was a misalignment,” passenger Dimitrie Latkov told The Post on Thursday, raising the possibility that the plane missed the flight altogether. “I knew something was wrong, but I didn't know what.”
Delta Air Lines had warned of such a possibility, even though some passengers paid more than $1,000 for their seats. For both Dallas and Austin flights, the airline included the following disclaimer: “Delta's flight plans are designed to maximize flight time, but this is subject to change due to factors outside of Delta's control, such as weather and air traffic control. It can affect timing and aircraft. ”
On Flight 1010, passengers craned their necks to catch a glimpse of the sun, including this reporter who paid nearly $850 for a refundable ticket. “Can you see it?” changed to “Did you see it?” when the plane turns. The sky and the ground were darkening, but only fleeting glimpses of the sun appeared.
Several people took photos of the sun partially obscured by the moon, and later posted thumbnails of it glowing orange. They chalked up the difficulties to the difficult angle of the sun overhead, the speed of the plane, and the range of the aircraft.
The flight was buzzing with media attention, but it wasn't until Latkoff, a virology doctoral student at the Mayo Clinic, compared the flight path to the eclipse path using a flight tracking site and NASA's solar eclipse, No movement was detected that deviated from the normal path. map. He posted a video of himself on his YouTube and sent an email to a reporter with the subject line, “Dallas Eclipse flight took a wrong turn and missed the path of totality.”
Delta Air Lines did not confirm the accuracy of Latkov's video, but after reviewing questions from the Post, it acknowledged that the plane had veered off its total flight path. Flight tracking sites Flightradar24 and FlightAware showed the plane circling southeast of Jonesboro, Ark.
The first flight out of Austin announced by Delta Air Lines for the eclipse was shown on Flightradar24 to stay on route. Photos of the flight clearly showed a dark sky and the sun blocking the moon, but Detroit Free Press photographer Eric Shields wrote on Instagram that even that was “very difficult to photograph. It was,” he wrote.
Many passengers on the Dallas flight told the Post on Monday that they were disappointed there wasn't a better vantage point, but that they enjoyed the experience anyway. Airlines held parties before takeoff and after landing, placing bags containing special socks, hats, snacks and other trinkets on seats.
The flight's captain told The Post on Monday that people on the left side of the plane probably had the best view, adding that the flight took just over three minutes to see the entire picture. He told his USA Today: It really ended without any problems. ”
Kyle Carter, a private pilot and stay-at-home dad from Orlando, said Monday he was happy to be able to see the moon's shadow running toward the plane from behind. He said Friday that as a pilot, he understood in advance that several factors could make the experience less than ideal.
“I still want to do it again,” he said. “We went in with that kind of foreknowledge. We weren't sure if we were going to see it.”
Latkoff, who paid more than $1,100 for a refundable ticket, said he began his trip in Minnesota early Sunday morning, slept at the Dallas airport that night and returned home around 6 a.m. Tuesday. . He said the atmosphere in his row was chatty and upbeat until the perfect match, but then it dropped.
After the airline issued a celebratory news release and received much positive coverage, he said he wants Delta to correct the record on the flight and explain what happened.
“It was a huge disappointment” and required a large financial investment, he said. “It was clearly advertised as the second eclipse flight.”
