( CNN ) -- The pilots of a Southwest Airlines jet that landed at the wrong Missouri airport this week were not directed there by air traffic controllers , and should have known they were landing at the wrong location , U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt said on Thursday . `` The federal employees involved did what they were supposed to do . The airline employees involved did not , '' the Missouri Republican said in a conference call with reporters . Related : How could this happen ? Blunt said he had talked with Federal Aviation Administration chief Michael Huerta about the incident . The FAA oversees air traffic control for commercial airline travel . Southwest Flight 4013 from Chicago 's Midway Airport with 124 passengers was scheduled to land at Branson Airport in southwest Missouri on Sunday night . Instead , the Boeing 737-700 touched down at Taney County airport - about seven miles away , and with a runway significantly shorter . The National Transportation Safety Board is looking into the incident as is the FAA . An industry official previously said the FAA had reviewed the matter initially and it appeared there had been no issue with controllers . The Taney County airport was not staffed by controllers , but they were in touch with air traffic centers along the way . The two pilots have been placed on paid leave .
Southwest Flight 4013 was headed to Branson , Missouri , airport , but landed at one nearby . Investigators looking at a number of potential reasons for what happened . Comment: