Runway Incursion Reduction Measures Revealed

The Federal Aviation Administration in partnership with its controllers and industry on Aug. 15 agreed to step up efforts to reduce the number of runway mishaps at U.S. Airports, revealing five short-term (30-60 day) initiatives. FAA Deputy Administrator Bobby Sturgell said the initiatives respond to recent runway incursions across the United States, including high-profile incidents in the last year in Chicago and Fort Lauderdale, FL. “We have seen some incidents of late that concern us. We thought it was appropriate to re-energize and re-focus ourselves on this problem at this time,” said Sturgell. Airport safety reviews will be conducted at more than 20 U.S. airports with runway incursion issues, with inspector teams looking at operational procedures, signage and markings. The FAA is also asking 73 U.S. airports to immediately upgrade runway signs and markings in advance of the current September 2008 deadline. Simulator training of airline will now include ground movement operations from the gate to the takeoff position. Airlines will modify their pre-departure checklist so that more checks are made at the gate, reducing distractions while the aircraft is moving across the airport. The FAA will perform a safety risk analysis to establish better way for controllers to instruct departing aircraft. The FAA, with the support of the controllers’ union, will establish a voluntary self-reporting safety system for controllers patterned after the Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP).