What happens if a large aircraft emergency lands on a small airstrip

This real incident is  happened in late 2013 in Wichita  (Wichita is a city located in the state of Kansas, United States.)

A Boeing Dreamlifter, a modified 747-400LCF, mistakenly landed at Wichita’s James Jabara Airport (KAAO) instead of McConnell Air Force Base (KIAB), which was its intended destination. The pilots were disoriented and thought they had landed at Beech Factory Airport (KBEC), a larger airport with an 8,000-foot runway, located halfway between KAAO and KIAB.

Jabara Airport has a significantly shorter runway of 6,100 feet, which posed a challenge for the Dreamlifter’s takeoff. To address this issue, the aircraft was made as light as possible by draining most of its fuel, leaving just enough for the flight to McConnell. A cold front moved in, bringing a 20-knot headwind and near-freezing temperatures, which helped provide extra lift due to the denser air.

On November 21, 2013, the Dreamlifter successfully took off from Jabara Airport, rotating off the ground with about 1,000 feet of runway to spare. Due to the short runway, the pilots had to take a longer route to McConnell Air Force Base, flying 76 miles north before landing safely. The incident led to a temporary closure of Jabara Airport for structural inspections, and the runway sustained damage, requiring repairs about a year later.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) conducted investigations into the incident, which highlighted the importance of proper navigation and communication between pilots and air traffic control.

NOTE:    Dreamlifter:   The Boeing Dreamlifter, officially designated the 747-400 Large Cargo Freighter (LCF), is a highly modified, wide-body cargo aircraft used exclusively for transporting large parts for Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner. Its main mission is to speed up the delivery of oversized components, such as wings and fuselage sections, from global suppliers to final assembly plants.