>> But the reason they didn’t try to land there was simple: neither the pilots nor the Atlanta controller knew it existed. The airport, not being intended for u

>> But the reason they didn’t try to land there was simple: neither the pilots nor the Atlanta controller knew it existed. The airport, not being intended for use by large aircraft, was not marked on the pilots’ charts, and because it lay outside Atlanta Center’s area of responsibility, it wasn’t on their charts either. Or maybe one of the pilots had turned toward it, having spent time in the area during his military service (see earlier in the article). Maybe they turned toward it but the weather in that direction turned out to be terrible so they tried for the recommended airports... Maybe.