"Skunk" wrote in message
...
1. The ILS would be off in the cockpit
Yes, and this is the PF's (Pilot Flying) problem. Only if the controller is
giving the pilot a SAR "talkdown" (very rare) would he be using any system
that allows him to see accurately where the aircraft is relative to the
runway centreline.

2. If the ATCT can't see an aircraft landing incorrectly on the taxiway
what good are they?
Remember the Tower is generally off to the side of the runway - often by
quite a way. Thus, until an aircraft is relatively close to the runway, it's
pretty hard to picture where an aircraft is relative to the centreline.

3. The pilot(s) should notice
Yes, they should. Landing in the right place, in the right configuration,
and at the right speed is the job of the pilots.

4. The pilots on the ground should notice
They _might_ notice, but the priority of the pilots of any aircraft on the
ground is to make their way around the airport safely, down the right routes
and without banging into anything or anybody. Taxying, though apparently
easy, is actually one of the places where plenty of accidents occur through
complacency. And let's face it, if aircraft on the ground were having
accidents because their crew were too busy looking into the sky, you'd be
moaning about that too. It may well be that someone waiting on a taxiway
might have been gazing into the air and thought: "Hang about, his approach
looks a bit weird", but (a) at an airfield with multiple runways the
instinct might be that the landing aircraft is heading into a different
runway. And even if you do choose to say anything, it might take a while to
get a word in edgeways if the frequency is busy.

In todays America nobody is at fault huh?
Errr, no. If a pilot is told which bit of ground to land on, and then lands
on the wrong bit, then it's his (or her) fault. Simple as that. Go surf the
NTSB incident report archive and you'll find plenty of reports where blame
is attributed - to engineers, to controllers, to pilots, to wherever it's
due.

DC