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Runway incursions

On February 25, a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 executed a go-around after a Flexjet Bombardier Challenger 300 crossed an active runway at Chicago Midway International Airport in which the Boeing 737 was cleared for landing. The decision of the flight crew to execute the go-around averted what could have been a catastrophic accident. Video footage of the serious accident was captured by a camera at the airport. The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) defines a runway incursion as "any occurrence at an aerodrome involving the incorrect presence of an aircraft, vehicle or person on the protected area of a surface designated for the landing and takeoff of aircraft." In the US, the FAA classifies runway incursions into three types, with five levels of severity. The three main types of runway incursions are an operational incident, a pilot deviation and a vehicle/pedestrian deviation. An operational incident is when the action of an air traffic controller results in less than required minimum separation between two or more aircraft, or between an aircraft and obstacles such as vehicles, equipment and personnel on runways or clearing an aircraft to takeoff or land on a closed runway. A pilot deviation is when a pilot violates any rules of the air regulation such as crossing a runway without a clearance while en route to an airport gate or the takeoff point. A vehicle/pedestrian deviation is when pedestrians and/or vehicles enter any portion of the airport movement areas such as runways and taxiways without approval from air traffic control. The five levels of severity are listed in descending order: – Accident: An incursion that resulted in a collision. – Category A: Serious incident in which a collision was narrowly avoided. – Category B: An incident in which separation decreases and there is a significant potential for collision, which may result in a time-critical corrective/evasive response to avoid a collision. – Category C: An incident characterised by ample time and/or distance to avoid a collision. – Category D: An incident that meets the definition of runway incursion such as incorrect presence of a single vehicle/person/aircraft on the protected area of a surface designated for the landing and takeoff of aircraft but with no immediate safety consequences. [caption id="attachment_1142561" align="alignnone" width="498"] Diagram showing two types of runway-holding position markings. -[/caption] The worst runway incursion accident known as the Tenerife airport disaster involved the collision of two Boeing 747s on a runway in Tenerife, Spain which occurred on March 27, 1977, when a KLM Boeing 747 collided with a Pan Am Boeing 747 on the runway at Los Rodeos Airport. This resulted in the deaths of 583 people, making it the deadliest aviation accident in history. The investigation concluded that the fundamental cause of the accident was the KLM captain's attempted take-off without clearance. The investigators suggested the reason for this was a desire to leave as soon as possible to comply with KLM's duty-time regulations and before the weather deteriorated further. Other contributing factors were dense fog at the airport and miscommunication between the pilots and air traffic control. Formal studies of runway incursions began in the 1980s, following several high-profile near misses and fatal collisions of airliners operating on airport surfaces. One of the earliest reports on the topic was published in 1986 by the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), titled: Runway Incursions at Controlled Airports in the US. The study cited examples like the Tenerife airport disaster and the 1972 Chicago-O'Hare runway collision. A special investigation was opened "to investigate selected runway incursions to determine their underlying causes and to recommend appropriate remedial actions." After a detailed examination of 26 incursion incidents occurring in 1985, investigators compiled a list of conclusions and safety recommendations. Among their findings were a need for clearer airport signage, improved controller supervision, and revised training procedures for aircrews and controllers. Despite the valuable data generated by the investigation, the NTSB conceded that, at the time, "the magnitude of the runway incursion problem could not be measured because of both incomplete reporting and follow-up investigations. [caption id="attachment_1142562" align="alignnone" width="878"] -[/caption] In 1988, the Federal Aviation Administration issued its own report, Reducing Runway Incursions, to establish an integrated programme for runway incursion reduction. Its general recommendations included the establishment of a steering committee on runway incursion reduction, the acceleration of the development and field deployment of Airport Movement Area Safety System technology and the analysis of pilot-related causal factors. In January 1991, the FAA published the first edition of its biennial Runway Incursion Plan now known as the National Runway Safety Plan. The document introduced organisational and legislative reforms alongside new initiatives to leverage research on human factors, design, technological innovation and professional development. Despite the newfound emphasis on runway incursion prevention, another fatal accident occurred on December 3, 1990, when eight people were killed after two Northwest Airlines flights collided in fog at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. The NTSB determined the accident's probable cause to be pilot error due to communication errors, inadequate crew resource management and disorientation exacerbated by deficient airfield geometry  Additionally, the NTSB recommended stricter airport certification requirements under federal regulations in the areas of lighting and conspicuous airport markings and signage. In 2005, the FAA assisted ICAO in its creation of a formal, internationally accepted definition of a runway incursion. Between October 2016 and September 2017, 1,341 runway incursions were reported. Of these, six were placed in the most serious categories A and B. Four of these were considered ATC incidents, and two were "pilot deviations." Of the 1,341 incidents, 66 per cent were caused by pilot deviation, 17 per cent were vehicle/pedestrian incidents, 16 per cent were air traffic control (ATC) incidents and one per cent were "other." An FAA study of the year ending September 2016, found that of 361 runway incursions attributed to pilot deviation, 27 per cent resulted from "pilot failed to hold short of runway as instructed," and 14.7 per cent from "pilot failed to hold short of runway." Five per cent of pilot deviations were classified as the pilot failing to comply with an ATC clearance. In 3.4 per cent of deviations, the pilot departed without a departure clearance.   The post Runway incursions appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.