Runway
safety is one of the FAA’s highest priorities –
specifically the problem of runway incursions. A
runway incursion is
defined as: ny 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.
Though
relatively few in number when compared to the massive amount of
traffic that moves safely through our nation’s airports every
day, runway incursions present a special problem. Not only do
they have the potential to put more lives at risk due to the
number and proximity of aircraft operating on the airport
surface, they also take place in a complex and dynamic
environment where root causes are difficult to isolate.
At
the simplest level, incursions occur because people make
mistakes. Humans are superbly skilled at making decisions under
a wide range of circumstances but, for a variety of reasons,
they are also fallible. Consider this human vulnerability within
the context of the numerous variables that may contribute to
human error and you can appreciate the problem.Its not just a pilot, controller, or vehicle operator
problem, it a problem that all of us in the aviation community
share.