The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with the United States and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject.(January 2024) |
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.
The internationally-accepted definition of a runway incursion is: [1]
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 take off of aircraft.
In the United States, the FAA classifies runway incursions into 3 types, with 5 levels of severity: [2]
Runway incursion type | |
---|---|
Operational incident | Action of an air traffic controller that results in less than required minimum separation between two or more aircraft, or between an aircraft and obstacles (vehicles, equipment, personnel) on runways or clearing an aircraft to takeoff or land on a closed runway. |
Pilot deviation | Action of a pilot that violates any Federal Aviation Regulation, example: a pilot crosses a runway without a clearance while en route to an airport gate. |
Vehicle/pedestrian deviation | Pedestrians or vehicles entering any portion of the airport movement areas (runways/taxiways) without authorization from air traffic control. |
Runway incursion severity (descending order) | |
Accident | An incursion that resulted in a collision. |
Category A | 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 characterized by ample time and/or distance to avoid a collision. |
Category D | 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. |
Formal study 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 American National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), titled Runway Incursions at Controlled Airports in the United States. [3] Citing 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." [3] : 1 After 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 by the FAA." [3] : 33
Two years later in 1988, the Federal Aviation Administration issued its own report, Reducing Runway Incursions, with the purpose of establishing an integrated program for runway incursion reduction. Its general recommendations included: [4] : 44–45
In January 1991, the FAA published the first edition of its biennial Runway Incursion Plan (now known as the NationalRunway Safety Plan). The document introduced organizational and legislative reforms alongside new initiatives to leverage research on human factors, design, technological innovation, and professional development. [4] : 45–46 In August 1992, however, a US General Accounting Office (GAO) congressional testimony criticized the agency's budgeting, delayed implementation, and inadequate reporting of the initiatives, especially its rollout of ASDE-3 radar and Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) technologies. [5]
Despite newfound emphasis on runway incursion prevention, another fatal accident occurred on 3 December 1990, when eight people were killed after two Northwest Airlines flights collided in fog at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. [4] The NTSB determined the accident's probable cause to be pilot error due to communication errors, inadequate crew resource management (CRM), and disorientation exacerbated by deficient airfield geometry. [4] : 79 Additionally, the NTSB recommended stricter airport certification requirements under 14 CFR Part 139 in the areas of lighting and conspicuous markings/signage. [4] : 80
In 2000, research into incursions at uncontrolled and non-towered airports was conducted by the Aviation Safety Reporting System based on data gathered by interviewing pilots who had experienced a runway incursion. Interviews lasted around 45 minutes to 1 hour, and the data was de-identified for FAA use in developing safety measures. [6]
In 2005, the FAA assisted ICAO in its creation of a formal, internationally-accepted definition of a runway incursion. The new verbiage was first added to the fourteenth edition of PANS-OPS Doc 4444, but it was not until 1 October 2007, that the FAA finally adopted the ICAO definition. Previously, the FAA had maintained that an incursion only included incidents in which a potential traffic conflict existed. An event without a potential conflict– such as an unauthorized aircraft crossing an empty runway– had been defined as a 'surface incident'. [7]
As of 2017, the last fatal runway incursion accident involving a U.S. Federal Aviation Regulations Part 121 air carrier was in 2006. [8]
Between 2011 and 2017, 12,857 runway incursions were reported in the United States. Between October 2016 and September 2017, 1,341 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 percent were caused by pilot deviation, 17 percent were vehicle/pedestrian incidents, 16 percent were air traffic control (ATC) incidents, and 1 percent were "other". [8]
An FAA study of the year ending September 2016, found that of 361 runway incursions attributed to pilot deviation, 27 percent resulted from "pilot failed to hold short of runway as instructed", and 14.7 percent from "pilot failed to hold short of runway". 5 percent of pilot deviations were classified as the pilot failing to comply with an ATC clearance. In 3.4 percent of deviations, the pilot departed without a departure clearance. [8]
The NASA Aviation Safety Reporting Service (ASRS) received 11,168 reports of runway incursions between January 2012 to August 2017, at a rate of approximately 2000 per year. More than 40 percent of reports were filed by general aviation pilots, and 36 percent by air carrier pilots. Factors included situational awareness, communication breakdown, confusion, and distraction. [8]
The Airport Surface Detection Equipment, Model X (ASDE-X) and the Airport Movement Area Safety System (AMASS) are computerized systems that are intended to alert air traffic controllers to the potential for a runway incursion.
The Honeywell Runway Awareness and Advisory System alerts pilots to the potential for a runway incursion.
The following table lists Category A runway incursion incidents in the United States since 2001. This table only includes incidents in which all involving planes are Part 121 and Part 129 airliners, and are investigated by both FAA and NTSB. Note that the Category rank of Air Canada Flight 759 incident in 2017 was "N/A" according to the FAA Runway Safety database, so it is not in the following table. [9]
Date | Airport | Flights | Aircraft | Closest proximity | Refs |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2023-02-04 | Austin–Bergstrom International Airport, Austin, TX | Southwest Airlines Flight 708 and Federal Express Flight 1432 | Boeing 737-700 and Boeing 767-300 | 150 to 170 feet (46 to 52 meters) | NTSB docket FAA |
2017-02-15 | San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco, CA | Compass Airlines Flight 6081 and Virgin America Flight 920 | ERJ 170-200 and Airbus A320-214 | Vertical: about 125 feet (38m) | NTSB docket FAA |
2015-02-17 | O'Hare International Airport, Chicago, IL | American Eagle flight ENY3084 and United Express flight GJS3710 | Embraer ERJ-145LR and Bombardier CL-600-2C10 | Between center: about 94 feet (29m) Between wingtips: 20 to 30 feet (6 to 9 meters) | NTSB docket FAA |
2011-08-08 | O'Hare International Airport, Chicago, IL | Chautauqua Airlines flight 5021 and Trans States Airlines flight 3367 | Embraer ERJ-135 and Embraer ERJ-145 | Vertical: within 125 feet (38m) Horizontal: within 350 feet (107m) | NTSB docket FAA |
2007-07-11 | Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport, Fort Lauderdale, FL | United Airlines flight 1544 and Delta Air Lines flight 1489 | Airbus A320 and Boeing 757 | Lateral: 230 feet (70m) | NTSB FAA |
2007-05-26 | San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco, CA | Republic Airlines flight 4912 and Skywest Airlines flight 5741 | Embraer 170 and Embraer 120 | Tower's estimate: 300 feet Skywest crew's estimate: 30 to 50 feet RPA4912 crew's estimate: 150 feet | NTSB FAA |
2006-03-21 | O'Hare International Airport, Chicago, IL | Lufthansa flight 437 and Chautauqua flight 7826 | Airbus A319 and Embraer ERJ 145EP | 100 feet (30m) | NTSB FAA |
2005-06-09 | General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport, Boston, MA | Aer Lingus flight 132 and US Airways flight 1170 | Airbus A330-301 and Boeing 737-300 | 171 feet (52m) | NTSB docket FAA |
An aviation accident is an event during aircraft operation that causes serious injury, death, or destruction. An aviation incident is any operating event that compromises safety but does not progress to an aviation accident. Preventing accidents and incidents is the main goal of aviation safety.
Aviation safety is the study and practice of managing risks in aviation. This includes preventing aviation accidents and incidents through research, educating air travel personnel, passengers and the general public, as well as the design of aircraft and aviation infrastructure. The aviation industry is subject to significant regulation and oversight.
On the evening of Friday, 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). As Flight 1493 was on final approach, the local controller was distracted, though air traffic was not heavy at LAX, 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.
Southwest Airlines Flight 1248 was a scheduled passenger flight from Baltimore, Maryland, to Chicago, Illinois, continuing on to Salt Lake City, Utah, and then to Las Vegas, Nevada. On December 8, 2005, the airplane slid off a runway at Midway Airport in Chicago while landing in a snowstorm and crashed into automobile traffic, killing a six-year-old boy.
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.
The 2005 Logan Airport runway incursion was a near-collision that occurred at approximately 7:40 p.m. EDT on June 9, 2005, between Aer Lingus Flight 132 and US Airways Flight 1170. EI132 was an Airbus A330-300 aircraft, owned and operated by the Irish airline Aer Lingus, destined for Shannon, Ireland, and carrying 12 crew members and 260 passengers. US Airways Flight 1170 was a Boeing 737-300 flight destined for Philadelphia and carrying 6 crew members and 103 passengers. The near-collision took place on the runway at Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts.
The 2007 San Francisco International Airport runway incursion occurred around 1:36 p.m. PDT on May 26, 2007, when SkyWest Airlines Flight 5741, an Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia turboprop aircraft, nearly collided with Republic Airways Flight 4912, an Embraer 170 Regional Jet, at the intersection of Runways 1L and 28R at San Francisco International Airport (SFO).
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.
On December 3, 1990, two Northwest Airlines jetliners collided at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport. 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.
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.
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United Express Flight 5925, operated by Great Lakes Airlines with a Beechcraft 1900 twin turboprop, was a regularly scheduled flight from Chicago O'Hare International Airport to Quincy, Illinois, with an intermediate stop in Burlington, Iowa. On November 19, 1996, the aircraft collided on landing at Quincy with another Beechcraft, a private King Air, that was taking off from an intersecting runway. Fourteen people were killed as a result.
On April 9, 1990, Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2254, a scheduled passenger flight from Muscle Shoals, Alabama, to Gadsden, Alabama, to Atlanta, Georgia, was involved in a mid-air collision with a Cessna 172 over Gadsden. The collision resulted in the death of the pilot and passenger of the Cessna 172.
On July 7, 2015, an F-16 fighter jet operated by the United States Air Force collided in-flight with a private Cessna 150 single-engine light aircraft over Moncks Corner, South Carolina, United States. Both occupants of the Cessna were killed; the pilot of the F-16 ejected safely.
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 on 28R 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).
Airport surveillance and broadcast systems are a set of runway-safety tools that display aircraft on and near an airport.
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The 2020 Alaska mid-air collision occurred at approximately 8:27 a.m. on July 31, 2020, when a de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver collided with a Piper PA-12 over the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, approximately two miles northeast of Soldotna Airport, near mile 91.5 of the Sterling Highway. Most of the wreckage landed about 200 yards (180 m) from the road. Alaska State Representative Gary Knopp was piloting one of the aircraft and was killed in the accident.
Ozark Air Lines Flight 965 was a scheduled commercial flight from Chicago, Illinois, to Lambert Field in St. Louis, Missouri, with a scheduled intermediate stopover at Greater Peoria Regional Airport in Peoria, Illinois. On March 27, 1968, the Douglas DC-9-15 jetliner operating the flight, carrying 44 passengers and five crew, collided in mid-air with a single-engined Cessna 150F while both aircraft were on approach to the same runway at Lambert Field. The DC-9 landed safely with no injuries to any of its 49 occupants, while both pilots in the two-person Cessna died in the collision and subsequent ground impact.
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