Backtaxi

Last updated

Backtaxi (also known as backtrack) is an airport ground procedure which involves the use of any portion of a runway as a taxiway for an aircraft to taxi in the opposite direction from which it will take off or has landed. [1] [2] The procedure is commonly used at smaller airports and private strips which may not have separate paved taxiways parallel to the runway. It is a higher-risk procedure, as pilots may not see, or hear the radio transmissions from, aircraft taxiing on the runway. [3]

At controlled airports, take-off or landing clearances do not authorize the pilot to reverse course and backtrack along the runway, unless specified by air traffic control. [4] [5] At uncontrolled airports, pilots are recommended to broadcast their intentions while backtracking in the interest of safety; for example, the statement "Entering and backtracking runway 36" would indicate the aircraft is taxiing along a magnetic heading of 180 degrees, against the flow of traffic.

An infamous and rare example of where backtracking was used for large commercial aircraft was the Tenerife airport disaster, where two Boeing 747s at Tenerife North Airport were required to backtaxi in order to position themselves for take-off. [6] The ramps and taxiways were occupied by numerous parked aircraft which had been detoured as a result of a bomb threat at another airport. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Airport</span> Facility with a runway for aircraft

An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial air transport. Airports usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surface such as a runway for a plane to take off and to land or a helipad, and often includes adjacent utility buildings such as control towers, hangars and terminals, to maintain and monitor aircraft. Larger airports may have airport aprons, taxiway bridges, air traffic control centres, passenger facilities such as restaurants and lounges, and emergency services. In some countries, the US in particular, airports also typically have one or more fixed-base operators, serving general aviation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tenerife airport disaster</span> 1977 runway collision in Spain and deadliest crash in aviation history

The Tenerife airport disaster occurred on March 27, 1977, when two Boeing 747 passenger jets collided on the runway at Los Rodeos Airport on the Spanish island of Tenerife. The collision occurred when KLM Flight 4805 initiated its takeoff run while Pan Am Flight 1736 was still on the runway. The impact and resulting fire killed everyone on board KLM 4805 and most of the occupants of Pan Am 1736, with only 61 survivors in the front section of the aircraft. With 583 fatalities, the disaster is the deadliest accident in aviation history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Runway</span> Area of surface used by aircraft to takeoff from and land on

According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and takeoff of aircraft". Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface. Runways, taxiways and ramps, are sometimes referred to as "tarmac", though very few runways are built using tarmac. Takeoff and landing areas defined on the surface of water for seaplanes are generally referred to as waterways. Runway lengths are now commonly given in meters worldwide, except in North America where feet are commonly used.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Los Angeles runway disaster</span> 1991 runway collision between two airplanes

On the evening of February 1, 1991, USAir Flight 1493, a Boeing 737-300, collided with SkyWest Airlines Flight 5569, a Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner turboprop aircraft, upon landing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Though air traffic was not heavy at LAX, as Flight 1493 was on final approach, the local controller was distracted by a series of abnormalities, including a misplaced flight progress strip and an aircraft that had inadvertently switched off the tower frequency. The SkyWest flight was told to taxi into takeoff position, while the USAir flight was landing on the same runway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Easterwood Airport</span> Regional airport in Texas, United States

Easterwood Airport is a regional airport in College Station, Texas, with Texas A&M University, Bryan-College Station, and Brazos County, Texas as its communities. Reached from Farm-To-Market Road 60 West, it is 3 miles (4.8 km) southwest of the center of College Station, and 0.25 miles (0.40 km) from Texas A&M University. There is no public transportation from Easterwood Airport to the surrounding cities; however, in the fall of 2019, a new university bus route was established to connect Easterwood Airport with the Engineering Quad and the Texas A&M Hotel and Conference Center. The airport bus route is available only to those with a University ID or Brazos Transit District ID. Despite owning and managing the airport, there are no aviation courses at the university.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Illinois Willard Airport</span> Airport in Champaign County, Illinois, U.S.

University of Illinois Willard Airport is south of Savoy in Tolono Township, Champaign County, Illinois, United States. It is owned and operated by the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign and is named for former University of Illinois president Arthur Cutts Willard.

Land and Hold Short Operations is an air traffic control procedure for aircraft landing and holding short of an intersecting runway or point on a runway, to balance airport capacity and system efficiency with safety.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Addison Airport</span> Public airport in Addison, Dallas County, Texas

Addison Airport is a public airport in Addison, in Dallas County, Texas, United States, 9 mi north of downtown Dallas. It opened in 1954 and was purchased by the town of Addison in 1976. It is home to the Cavanaugh Flight Museum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Runway status lights</span> Aviation safety system

Runway Status Lights (RWSL) are a visual alerting system installed in some airport taxiways and runways for the purpose of collision-avoidance. When illuminated, red high-intensity LEDs indicate the presence of another vehicle either departing, occupying, or landing on an active runway. RWSL systems are fully-automated and intended to alert aircrews and ground vehicle operators of a potential runway incursion hazard. They operate as an additional layer of safety, independent of human-issued air traffic control clearances.

Comair Flight 5191 was a scheduled United States domestic passenger flight from Lexington, Kentucky, to Atlanta, Georgia. On the morning of August 27, 2006, at around 06:07 EDT, the Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet 100ER crashed while attempting to take off from Blue Grass Airport in Fayette County, Kentucky, 4 miles (6.4 km) west of the central business district of the city of Lexington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Treasure Coast International Airport</span> Airport in Fort Pierce, Florida

Treasure Coast International Airport is a public airport located three miles (5 km) northwest of the central business district of Fort Pierce, a city in St. Lucie County, Florida, United States. It is owned by the St. Lucie Board of County Commissioners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Runway incursion</span> Aviation incident involving the improper presence of an entity on a runway

A runway incursion is an aviation incident involving improper positioning of vehicles or people on any airport runway or its protected area. When an incursion involves an active runway being used by arriving or departing aircraft, the potential for a collision hazard or Instrument Landing System (ILS) interference can exist. At present, various runway safety technologies and processes are commonly employed to reduce the risk and potential consequences of such an event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brandywine Airport</span> Airport in Pennsylvania, United States

Brandywine Airport is a public-use general aviation airport in West Goshen Township, Pennsylvania, three miles northeast of West Chester. It is designated as a reliever airport and a regional general aviation airport by the FAA. It is privately owned by the New Brandywine Airport Club Inc, with a single fixed-base operator, aircraft repair, as well as flight training in both fixed-wing and rotary aircraft. The American Helicopter Museum and Education Center is located adjacent to the airport, with taxiway access.

The Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) is an ongoing United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) project to modernize the National Airspace System (NAS). The FAA began work on NextGen improvements in 2007 and plans to finish the final implementation segment by 2030. The goals of the modernization include using new technologies and procedures to increase the safety, efficiency, capacity, access, flexibility, predictability, and resilience of the NAS while reducing the environmental impact of aviation.

Mesquite Metro Airport is a public use airport in Dallas County, Texas, 3 nautical miles (5.6 km) east of the central business district of Mesquite. The airport is west of the border of Dallas County and Kaufman County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TWA Flight 427</span> 1994 runway collision in Missouri, United States

TWA Flight 427 was a regularly scheduled TWA passenger flight departing St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL) in Bridgeton, Missouri on November 22, 1994, operated using a McDonnell Douglas MD-82. On the takeoff roll it struck a Cessna 441 Conquest II, killing both of its occupants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1990 Wayne County Airport runway collision</span> Collision of two Northwest Airlines jetliners at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport

The 1990 Wayne County Airport runway collision involved the collision of two Northwest Airlines jetliners at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport on December 3, 1990. Flight 1482, a scheduled Douglas DC-9-14 operating from Detroit to Pittsburgh International Airport, taxied by mistake onto an active runway in dense fog and was hit by a departing Boeing 727 operating as Flight 299 to Memphis International Airport. One member of the crew and seven passengers of the DC-9 were killed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Continental Airlines Flight 1883</span> 2006 aviation incident

Continental Airlines Flight 1883 was a Boeing 757 that mistakenly landed on a taxiway at Newark Liberty International Airport on the evening of October 28, 2006. There were no reported injuries or damage, but the narrowly averted disaster was investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board, and caused the Federal Aviation Administration to reevaluate and modify air and ground safety procedures at and around Newark Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1972 Chicago–O'Hare runway collision</span> 1972 aviation accident

On December 20, 1972, North Central Airlines Flight 575 and Delta Air Lines Flight 954 collided on a runway at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. Ten people died – all on the North Central aircraft – and 17 were injured in the accident. This was the second major airliner accident to happen in Chicago in December 1972; the other was United Airlines Flight 553, which crashed twelve days earlier on approach to Midway Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air Canada Flight 759</span> 2017 aviation incident

On July 7, 2017, an Airbus A320-211 operating as Air Canada Flight 759 was nearly involved in an accident at San Francisco International Airport in San Mateo County, California, United States. The flight, which originated at Toronto Pearson International Airport, had been cleared by air traffic control to land on runway 28R and was on final approach to land on that runway; however, instead of lining up with the runway, the aircraft had lined up with the parallel taxiway, on which four fully loaded and fueled passenger airplanes were stopped awaiting takeoff clearance. The flight crew initiated a go-around prior to landing, after which it landed without further incident. The aircraft on the taxiway departed for their intended destinations without further incident. The subsequent investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that the Air Canada airplane descended to 59 feet (18 m) above the ground before it began its climb, and that it missed colliding with one of the aircraft on the taxiway by 14 feet (4.3 m).

References

  1. ↑ FAA Aviation News; A DOT/FAA Flight Standards Safety Publication. Federal Aviation Administration. 1998. p. 11.
  2. ↑ Liz Mariner. CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF: Teacher's Supplement. Ae Link Publications. p. 94.
  3. ↑ United States House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (22 September 2010). Residential Through-the-fence Agreements at Public Airports; Action to Date and Challenges Ahead : Hearing Before the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, House of Representatives, One Hundred Eleventh Congress, Second Session. p. 10. ISBN   9780160886683.
  4. ↑ Aeronautical Information Publication Australia ENR 1.1 5.2
  5. ↑ Aeronautical Information Publication Australia ENR 1.1 16.2
  6. ↑ Patrick Smith (27 March 2017). "The true story behind the deadliest air disaster of all time". The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  7. ↑ Jeffrey Price; Jeffrey Forrest (2016). Practical Airport Operations, Safety, and Emergency Management Protocols for Today and the Future. Elsevier Science. p. 278. ISBN   9780128006016.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.