2. Background
A diversion occurs when an aircraft flying between two
airports makes an unplanned landing at another airport
for any reason.
In recent years, CRW has seen many aircraft
diversions. The most notable of these were a United
Airlines flight between Washington DC and San Diego
and a Southwest flight between Nashville and
Baltimore. In addition to these flights, there have been
numerous other diversions. Many have begun to ask,
why does CRW see so many diversions?
3. Why CRW?
Location
The primary reason we get
the diversions we do is our
location. CRW is located near
two VOR Stations; one in
South Charleston, the other in
Henderson.
VOR is short for VHF
Omnidirectional Range and
these stations are
navigational waypoints for
aircraft.
4. Why CRW?
Location
These VOR stations also serve as waypoints along
numerous high altitude airways. Think of these as
highways in the sky. The Charleston VOR is an
intersection for numerous airways.
5. Why CRW?
Location
As you can see below, some of these airways passing
over Charleston stretch the length of the country.
6. Why CRW?
Location
The Henderson, Charleston,
and Beckley VOR’s are each
the starting point of many
STARS (standard arrival
paths) into numerous major
airports in the East. The
Charleston VOR alone is an
initial waypoint on
approaches into Charlotte,
Washington Dulles,
Washington National, Detroit,
and Atlanta.
7. Why CRW?
Isolation
When able, airlines typically
divert to airports where they
have scheduled flights. CRW
is the only airport in the large
area between Pittsburgh,
Washington, Roanoke,
Knoxville, Lexington, and
Columbus that has five major
airlines and their regional
counterparts.
8. Credits
Airway and VOR maps - http://puck.nether.net/faa/
All map sources – Google maps
