ICAO NAMCARSAM Runway SafetyRunway Incursion Conference

1
U.S. Runway Safety Briefing

• ICAO NAM/CAR/SAMRunway Safety/Runway Incursion
  Conference
• John Pallante, ARI-2
• October 2002

2
Global Airspace Characteristics
Growing demand for air travel and system capacity
Millions of operations a year
Hundreds of thousands of pilots and aircraft
Thousands of air traffic controllers
Thousands of airports
Pressure to reduce delays and to enhance safety
3
Runway Safety Realities

• Systemic, Rare, Potentially Catastrophic Events
• Human Factors Inevitable and Constant
• Commercial and GA Incursions Proportionate to
  Operations
• Airport Design, Procedures, and Local Factors are
  Significant
• Solution includes Cultural Change, Joint and
  Individual Ownership

4
Types of Runway Incursions

• A runway incursion is any occurrence on an
  airport runway involving an aircraft, vehicle,
  person, or object on the ground that creates a
  collision hazard or results in a loss of required
  separation with an aircraft taking off, landing,
  or intending to land.
• The FAA investigates runway incursions and
  attributes the occurrence to one or more of the
  following error types.

5
Runway Incursions (All Categories)
DATA ARE PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE
6
Distribution by Type of Runway Incursions
FY 2002 YTD (09/30/02)
FY 1998-2001
DATA ARE PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE
7
Runway Incursion Severity Categories
Operational Dimensions Affecting Runway Incursion
Severity
Increasing Severity
Increasing Severity
Category D
Category C
Category B
Category D
Category C
Category B
Category A
Separation decreases and participants take
extreme action to narrowly avoid a collision, or
the event results in a collision
Separation decreases and there is a significant
potential for collision
Separation decreases but there is ample time and
distance to avoid a collision
Little or no chance of collision but meets the
definition of a runway incursion
Little or no
Separation
Separation
Separation
chance of
decreases but
decreases and
decreases and
collision but
there is ample
there is a
participants take
meets the
time and
significant
extreme action
definition of a
distance to avoid
potential for
to narrowly
runway incursion
a collision
collision
avoid a collision
8
Category AB Runway Incursions
DATA ARE PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE
9
Severity Distribution of Runway Incursions
FY 1998-2001
FY 2002 YTD (09/30/02)
Category A includes 2 collisions / 4 fatalities
(FLL SRQ- 4 fatal).
Category A includes 2 collisions / 0 fatalities
(VNY LAL).
DATA ARE PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE
10
Category A and B Runway Incursions (CY 2000 and
2001)
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Runway Collisions Met. Conditions (1990 - 2001)
DAY IMC
DAY VMC
2
1
0
5
NIGHT IMC
NIGHT VMC
12
Frequency and Rate of Runway Incursions (CY 1998
- 2001)
13
Airport complexity influences the number and rate
of runway incursions (FY 1998 - 2001)
LAX
STL
IAD
34 Incursions
30 Incursions
3 Incursions
14
Severity Distribution at the 32 Benchmark
Airports (CY 1998 2001)

• The Benchmark Airports accounted for
• 18 of all operations (approx. 61 Million out of
  332 Million) at towered airports over the 4 year
  period
• 26 (383) of all the runway incursions in the 4
  year period studied

• The Benchmark Airports accounted for
• 38 (38/87) A events,
• 36 (59/163) B events,
• 35 (178/509) C events,
• 16 (113/694) D events

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What the FAA is Doing

• Current Situation
• Runway Safety Goals

Outcome Zero fatalities from runway incursions
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Primary Performance Factors of Runway Incursions
(1997-2001)

• Pilot Deviations
• Enters or crosses a runway after acknowledging
  hold short instructions
• Takes off without a clearance after acknowledging
  position and hold instructions
• Operational Errors
• Loss of arrival/departure separation on same or
  intersecting runways
• Runway crossing separation errors
• Vehicle/Pedestrian Deviations
• Crosses a runway without communication or
  authorization
• Enters a runway after acknowledging hold short
  instructions

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Runway Safety Blueprint

• 8 Goals
• 39 Objectives
• Education and Training
• Safety Seminars
• Surface Safety Awareness
• Mass Mailings
• Procedures
• Modeling and Simulation
• Advisory Circulars
• Data Collection
• Surface Incidents
• ASRS

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Runway Safety Blueprint (contd)

• 8 Goals
• 39 Objectives
• Communications
• Phraseology Workgroup
• Situational Awareness
• Paint Study
• Local Solutions
• Special Emphasis Program
• Technology
• Flashing PAPI
• Runway Status Lights (AMASS, ASDE-X)
• Moving Map
• LED Lights

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Technologies

• ARI sponsoring technologies with industry-wide
  potential
• AMASS
• 18 Commissioned
• 6 Operational Suitability Demo
• 13 Remaining
• LED lighting
• Enhances hold position markings at runway/taxiway
  intersection
• Omaha system activation July 2002

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Summary

• Runway Safety is a multi-dimensional issue that
  requires a multi-dimensional approach.
• People make mistakes even the most intelligent,
  well-trained, conscientious, well-intentioned
  people make mistakes.
• Education, training and procedures are important
  solutions, but they are always susceptible to
  human error. To be successful, a balanced
  approach also requires improvements in airport
  design and technology, and a determination to
  take ownership of the issue of runway incursions.

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Backup Slides
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Approach

• Analyze the incident data to determine areas of
  greatest risks
• What are the types and relative frequencies of
  different types of error?
• Identify mitigation strategies for managing human
  error
• Procedures
• Technologies

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Where do we go wrong?

• Controllers
• Forget (about a closed runway, a clearance that
  they issued, an aircraft waiting to takeoff or
  cleared to land)
• Get distracted
• Fail to coordinate (teamwork)
• Dont catch all readback errors
• Act human

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Where do we go wrong?

• Pilots
• Fail to hold short as instructed (and cross or
  line up on the runway)
• Takeoff without a clearance
• Get lost (with and without poor visibility)
• Misunderstand the clearance
• Act human

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Resulting in

• Aircraft/vehicles crossing in front of an
  aircraft taking off or landing
• Aircraft/vehicles crossing in front of an
  aircraft landing
• Controllers forgetting about aircraft holding in
  position and clearing an aircraft to land on the
  same runway
• Other scenarios

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How do we fix it?

• Better tools for pilots and controllers
• Better airport signs and markings
• Surface radar at more airports
• Improved means of controller-pilot communication
  (to reduce frequency congestion and eliminate
  blocked transmissions)
• Runway status lights
• Loops
• Cockpit moving map displays

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What Controllers Can Do

• Optimize teamwork
• Recognize limitations of human memory and
  attention
• Dont clear an aircraft into position and hold
  if you plan on it being there for more than a
  minute
• Never assume keep up your scan and check that
  the runway is clear
• Good communication techniques

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What Pilots Can Do

• DONT mind your own business do whatever you
  can to increase your awareness of the airport
  operation
• LISTEN UP
• LOOK OUT
• Airport diagram out and in use
• Is there a runway between you and the gate?
• Is there an aircraft on final?

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What Pilots Can Do (contd)

• Both pilots should listen for clearances to land,
  taxi, and take-off
• When in doubt, about your position or your
  clearance - ASK
• SOPs and Recommended Practices
• Landing lights go on when take-off clearance is
  received (signal that aircraft is rolling)
• Call ATC if you expected an imminent take-off
  and have been lined up and waiting for more than
  90 seconds

30
Technologies
31
BAA Activities

• Background
• Issued Surface Technology Broad Agency
  Announcement (BAA) Exploring new and emerging,
  lower cost technology solutions
• Demonstrate technical feasibility of proposed
  technology
• Proceed to technology/solution development phase
  based on operational transition potential
• Status
• Six demonstration contracts awarded in
  2001(summary on next slide)
• Laser light technology contract awarded in July
  2002
• System demo - November 2002

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BAA Activities (contd)
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Other Projects (contd)

• Hold Line Enhancement with LED lights
• Three phases testing at Omaha
• LED stand alone
• LED with motion sensors
• Special scenarios - TBD
• Operational Assessment complete
• Jan 2003

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Other Projects (contd)

• VHF audio alert with motion sensors for
  non-controlled airports
• Two months data collection at Millard Airport
  completed in May 2002
• Detection rate and false alert rate need
  enhancement

35
Other Projects (contd)

• Flashing Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI)
• Notifies pilots on approach that it is unsafe to
  land due to an aircraft or vehicle occupying the
  Take-off Hold position or other critical position
  on the runway
• System control logic driven by loops detection in
  Long Beach
• Article 7 Brief
• August 12, 2002
• Field Demo
• September 10-12, 2002

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Technologies Deployment

• Short Term
• Utilize existing Surface Movement Guidance and
  Control System (SMGCS) and install FAA approved
  light fixtures such as Runway Guard Lights and
  Stop Bar Lights at those hot spots and high
  traffic intersections to increase the awareness
  of pilots and vehicle operators
• North Vegas
• Long Beach
• Phase in automatic control such as loops and
  motion sensor, and evaluate their effectiveness

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Technologies Deployment (contd)

• Mid Term
• Evaluate, certify and install RD equipment and
  system to improve runway safety
• Addressable Sign TYS
• LED/Hold Line Enhancement OMA
• 75 MHz Ground Marker Tech Center
• Long Term
• Provide low cost surveillance system for smaller
  airports
• Implement and promote the utilization of
  Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast
  (ADS-B) and ground vehicle tracking
• Integrate existing and future certified warning
  equipment/devices with safety logic to provide
  visual and aural alerts to users including air
  traffic controllers, pilots and vehicle operators