"d&tm" wrote in
:

So if the pilot chose to land on R17 and crashed into a fully laden 747
that couldnt be moved in time, and 600 people died, are you saying the
pilot was in his rights to ignore ATC telling him not to land? ATC have
to take into account the safety of all aircraft in their control, and if
they had to balance the risk of one aircraft versus another , surely
they have to err in favour of the aircraft who has done nothing wrong.
The pilot has a duty of care to other people apart from his own aircraft
and pax. terry

Presumably, landing on a fully laden 747 would not be considered "ensuring
the safety of flight." Certainly that would be the PIC's responsibility,
whether or not ATC advised him...

From a practical standpoint, I believe it would be reasonable (and perhaps
even be Tower's responsibility) for Tower to inform the Pilot that he had
requested a runway that was opposite the current direction of traffic, and
ask the pilot if he would be able to circle to land with the current traffic
flow.