Low-Tech Answers For Improved Runway Safety

Air Safety Week, April 16, 2007

An NTSB Forum Pinpoints Solutions

While high-tech solutions now being tested around the country promise to put runway incursions into the same "solved" category as Controlled Flight into Terrain, Wind Shear and Mid-Air Collisions, it was the low-tech solutions that speakers at last week's National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) runway safety forum said offer more immediate results, not the least of which was NOTAM reform.

Indeed, the Air Transport Association (ATA) said there is no "silver bullet" to prevent runway incursions, calling for the implementation of other measures since many of the forthcoming technologies are neither mature, nor foolproof.

NOTAMs, said Regional Airline Association (RAA) Vice President-Technical Services Dave Lotterer, are overwhelming pilots, accounting for the most paper in the dispatch release and the most time consumed by crews in pre-taxi operations, particularly for short ground stops.

"The format is difficult to convert to an electronic format for Electronic Flight Bags," he added.

Lotterer's main message concerned the lack of a digital infrastructure for NOTAMs and charting within the FAA. "That needs to be addressed before the FAA pushes too far forward on moving maps," he asserted.

He cautioned that, before adding more technology to the cockpit, the FAA must improve current processes and procedures. "While the press picked up on the charting problem, the NOTAM problem is even worse," he said.

He cited charting as another issue altogether. "The use of moving map displays for ground operations lacks reliability unless the charting process can be improved," he said, and then added: "There is a major disconnect between airport operators and charting suppliers. ATC uses government-produced charts, while operators use commercial charts."

While press and other reports seem to indicate regionals being involved in the vast majority of runway collisions and serious incidents, statistics of major accidents and incidents released by NTSB during the conference indicate that general aviation and major carriers have been involved in considerably more incidents than regionals.

The FAA indicated the perception may come from the fact there are more regional aircraft in the system now. Even so, statistics showed that there were 31 runway incursions involving regional equipment in Fiscal 2005, only one of which was in the severest Category A or B. A year later, there were 49 such incursions involving regional aircraft, three of which qualified for Category A or B.

A regional - SkyWest (SKYW) - was, however, involved in the nation's deadliest accident, which killed 34 as a USAirways (LCC) 737 landed on top of a departing SkyWest Metroliner in 1991.

A United Express also collided with a Beech King Air at Quincy, Illinois, killing 14. The NTSB cited ATC error as the probable cause in the SkyWest accident and pilot error on the part of the King Air for the Quincy accident.

NTSB shows runway incursions have been on the rise in 2003 and continue to rise.

While the meeting centered on runway incursions, Flight Safety Foundation said runway excursions -- crashes as aircraft left runways -- were far deadlier and should receive more focus.

Foundation Fellow Earl Weener, PhD, cited data collection as a real problem since runway incursions are required to be documented but incidents involving runway excursions and runway confusion are only documented if they involve damage or injury.

Even so, he produced two charts outlining the growing problem, despite the lack of universal data on incursions, excursions and confusion.

Weener echoed all speakers when he cited airport design, lighting, approach aids, runway markings and signage, runway clearing and cleaning, runway condition measurement, and safety areas as issues to be addressed to reduce confusion and increase safety.

1995 - 2006

1,237 Total Accidents

              Number   Percent of Total
Incursions:   10       0.80%
Excursions:   363      29.40%
Confusion:    4        0.30%

2002 - 2006 512 Total Accidents

              Number (Fatalities)   Percent of Total Acc
Incursions:   3 (17)                0.60%
Excursions:   13 (283)              2.50%
Confusion:    1 (49)                0.20%

He also said pilots are often thrown off by last-minute runway changes in what he called "slam dunk approaches."

For part two of this report, see tinyurl.com/2jwgql

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