NASCARAirforce From United States of America, joined Feb 2005, 3084 posts, RR: 5 Posted (6 years 2 months 8 hours ago) and read 3445 times:
I just pulled an all night drive from Orlando this morning so I was tired, but as I was heading up I-275 this morning about 5 miles south of DTW I saw an unusual 767-300 departing DTW. This was around 9am or so. I checked various flight tracking sites and couldn't find anything on it. It was quite high by this point so I was unable to tell what airline it was but it didn't look like BA - which is really the only 767-300 that regularly serves DTW these days.
It was cloudy this morning and didn't look like it had a very colorful or large tail logo. It could have been AA since it was cloudy so the sun didn't reflect off the silver, and the AA logo is small. This makes me think that there could have been some sort of weather or medical diversion to DTW.
NASCARAirforce From United States of America, joined Feb 2005, 3084 posts, RR: 5 Reply 2, posted (6 years 1 month 4 weeks 17 hours ago) and read 2919 times:
It was about 5,000 ft up at the time. I could tell it was a 767-300 by the shape. It definitely wasn't a 757 and the three 757s that you mentioned are all Northwest, which at even 10,000 ft or more you can tell due to a bright red tail. The tail was either gray or white (again it was hard to tell due to it being overcast, although a relatively high overcast since it was below the clouds) There wasn't a noticeable marking on the tail - ie like Delta, Northwest, which are bright or even noticeable like Continental which you can tell for a long way is dark blue. If the sun was out I probably could have told you. It didn't look at least from the distance that I was at that it had a logo, or a very small logo (like the AA from American).
The only 767-300 that DTW gets regularly since 9-11 is BA, and I have heard that they are upgrading to 777s again. Now I was driving all night from Florida but I do know that it was a 767-300.
When there are weather and medical diversions, they often don't show up on flight trackers - I learned from experience living in Daytona Beach right next to the airport and frequently seeing MCO bound jets divert to DAB when there were storms over MCO. I checked flight aware and red1aviation.com for anything at the time but I don't see it.
DTW often gets ORD diversions when there is weather over ORD, there were storms in Detroit later that day, which means that there possibly were storms earlier at ORD, but it also could have been a medical.
I am thinking that this flight was likely an American flight. DTW hasn't had AA 767s in regularly though since the early 90s. Obviously it wasn't scheduled since it isn't on the flight trackers.
Flyinryan99 From United States of America, joined Feb 2001, 1919 posts, RR: 11 Reply 3, posted (6 years 1 month 4 weeks 17 hours ago) and read 2886 times:
Quoting NASCARAirforce (Reply 2): DTW often gets ORD diversions when there is weather over ORD, there were storms in Detroit later that day, which means that there possibly were storms earlier at ORD, but it also could have been a medical.
Not to really stray off course of the thread, but speaking of storms yesterday. I saw a few flights going into DTW fly over my house in Toledo at 5,000 ft deviating around the storms. I saw a Spirit A319 and AirTran 717 (both from FLL) and a Pinnacle CRJ fly over. Pretty neat to see.
Back to your sight...I'm sure you would've seen the third engine but a FedEx MD10?
NASCARAirforce From United States of America, joined Feb 2005, 3084 posts, RR: 5 Reply 5, posted (6 years 1 month 3 weeks 5 days 7 hours ago) and read 2516 times:
Quoting Flyinryan99 (Reply 3): Not to really stray off course of the thread, but speaking of storms yesterday. I saw a few flights going into DTW fly over my house in Toledo at 5,000 ft deviating around the storms. I saw a Spirit A319 and AirTran 717 (both from FLL) and a Pinnacle CRJ fly over. Pretty neat to see.
I was wondering what was happening if anything at DTW on Tuesday during those storms. I was only up there for 3 days, but the weather was as warm as Orlando when I got up there. Not surprising there were strong storms. It looked like some of the storms parked practically over DTW for a while too.
Quoting Flyinryan99 (Reply 3): Back to your sight...I'm sure you would've seen the third engine but a FedEx MD10?
Definitely not a Fed Ex MD-10 because a. I know what a DC/MD-10 looks like even from a belly view, and b. the plane had a light colored tail, not dark purple.
From the 5,000 or so ft up the plane was and the cloudiness, lookswise that could have been it. But why would some guy who owns a soccer team be flying into DTW? Don't the guys who own Google also have a 767-300? but then again, why Detroit?
Really the only thing that seems possible to me at least commercially owned would be American since their tail would appear light colored in overcast skies at 5,000 ft and rising. To give those who are familiar with the DTW area a perspective where I was, I was on I-275 heading northbound near the Wayne/Monroe County border as departures were to the south that day.
There were storms in Michigan later that day and the next day, so it is possible that there may have been some at ORD that morning.
Again, I have noticed when I lived by Daytona Beach and we got MCO diversions at DAB, they did not show up on the flight trackers.
Flyinryan99 From United States of America, joined Feb 2001, 1919 posts, RR: 11 Reply 6, posted (6 years 1 month 3 weeks 5 days 5 hours ago) and read 2410 times:
Quoting NASCARAirforce (Reply 5): Definitely not a Fed Ex MD-10 because a. I know what a DC/MD-10 looks like even from a belly view, and b. the plane had a light colored tail, not dark purple.
I figured as much.
Quoting NASCARAirforce (Reply 5): Again, I have noticed when I lived by Daytona Beach and we got MCO diversions at DAB, they did not show up on the flight trackers.
They most likely would show up on the departures end though...hum...Not sure what to tell ya
NASCARAirforce From United States of America, joined Feb 2005, 3084 posts, RR: 5 Reply 7, posted (6 years 1 month 3 weeks 3 days 5 hours ago) and read 2018 times:
Quoting Flyinryan99 (Reply 6): They most likely would show up on the departures end though...hum...Not sure what to tell ya
DTW757 From United States of America, joined Oct 2003, 1415 posts, RR: 2 Reply 8, posted (6 years 1 month 3 weeks 2 days 19 hours ago) and read 1833 times:
Quoting NASCARAirforce (Reply 5): Again, I have noticed when I lived by Daytona Beach and we got MCO diversions at DAB, they did not show up on the flight trackers.
Not sure that is the case in all diversions. Yesterday, I saw a NW DC9 turning final for 25 here in TOL. I looked up the TOL activity on flightaware.com and saw that it was NW 486 from ATL to DTW diverting to TOL. FlightAware showed both the arrival and departure and nwa.com showed it being a weather related diversion. I would think that the 767 should show up on the flight trackers but can't say for sure.
PSU.DTW.SCE From United States of America, joined Jan 2002, 6874 posts, RR: 29 Reply 9, posted (6 years 1 month 3 weeks 2 days 18 hours ago) and read 1802 times:
Sorry to tell you, but most of the time diversions do show up on flighttracker. Its easy to tell to see the atypical airlines/departure cities/arrival cities in there.
That said there was nothing abnormal showing up for that morning. The only thing going off around that time even remotely close to your description would either be a) NW 757-300 (which say it is not - and the redtail is a giveaway or b) Spirit A321 - which would match your gray tail description
Burnsie28 From United States of America, joined Aug 2004, 7411 posts, RR: 9 Reply 10, posted (6 years 1 month 3 weeks 2 days 14 hours ago) and read 1570 times:
Quoting DTW757 (Reply 8): it was NW 486 from ATL to DTW diverting to TOL
Just a minor correction, it was NW 476, 486 is a DTW-TPA 757.
"Some People Just Know How To Fly"- Best slogan ever, RIP NW 1926-2009
Boch From United States of America, joined Mar 2007, 71 posts, RR: 0 Reply 11, posted (6 years 1 month 3 weeks 2 days 13 hours ago) and read 1445 times:
Quoting NASCARAirforce (Reply 5): Don't the guys who own Google also have a 767-300? but then again, why Detroit?
Flyinryan99 From United States of America, joined Feb 2001, 1919 posts, RR: 11 Reply 12, posted (6 years 1 month 3 weeks 2 days 12 hours ago) and read 1387 times:
Quoting Boch (Reply 11): Google has a significant operation in Ann Arbor.
Just recently opened it up didn't they? If this was the aircraft then they may have it blocked on flight trackers.
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