Runway intrusion rates have doubled in Canada over the past decade Globalnews.ca

US aviation regulators are investigating after two planes nearly collided on a runway in New York last week, and Canada’s safety board wants more measures taken to prevent close calls from happening here.

a runway incursion there is one aviation The term for the improper positioning of vehicles, aircraft or people on the runway or protected area of ​​any airport – being in the wrong place at the wrong time, essentially.

at this rate runway incursion A concern for the National Airline Safety Board, as the number of incidents has doubled in the past decade.

According to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, the number of incidents in the country is expected to increase from 5.3 intrusions per 100,000 arrivals and departures in 2010 to 10.7 in 2021.

Cathy Fox, a former air traffic controller and current chair of the TSB, said, “While none of them have resulted in a collision, the point is that there is an elevated level of risk and it needs to be addressed.”

In 2021, Nav Canada recorded 471 runway incursions on Canadian runways.

During an interview with Global News, Fox recalled a fatal intrusion that occurred on February 11, 1978.

A snowblower was on the landing strip in Cranbrook, BC, which forced Pacific Western Airlines Flight 314 to overshoot the runway – crashing and killing all 42 people on board.

“Runway intrusions can be catastrophic,” Fox said.

“Fortunately, they don’t happen very often, but we believe there is much that can be done to reduce the risk of collisions.”

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US authorities are investigating a close call at a New York airport last Friday night between a plane that was overshooting a runway and another that was preparing for takeoff.

“(Exaggerated)! Delta 1943, cancel takeoff clearance! Delta 1943, cancel takeoff clearance!” an air controller said in an audio recording of an air traffic control communication when he saw another plane operated by American Airlines passing in front.

The recording was made by LiveATC, a website that monitors and posts flight communications.

A Delta Air Lines Boeing 737 aircraft then came to a safe stop on the John F. Kennedy International Airport runway as another crossed in front.

According to a statement by the US Federal Aviation Administration, the Delta plane came to a stop about 1,000 feet (about 0.3 km) from where the American Airlines plane had passed on an adjacent taxiway.

The aircraft returned to the gate, where 145 passengers were disembarked and overnight accommodation was arranged. Both the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are looking into the incident at JFK.

On this side of the border, Fox said Transport Canada, NAV Canada and airports have all taken steps to reduce the number of intrusions that occur across the country — including improving communication and identifying high-risk areas at airports. which may result in intrusion.

“What we’d like to see is a greater emphasis on technology to provide direct-to-pilot warnings that a vehicle or other aircraft deviates from the runway they’re using,” she said.

Chris Miles, vice-president of operations and infrastructure at Calgary International Airport, believes YYC is already exceeding Transport Canada’s safety guidelines when it comes to runway safety.

“We recommend that our operators, the airlines, keep their transponders on when they are taxiing on the ground, and any vehicle that actually interacts with the runway or taxiway is mandated to have a transponder,” Miles he said.

Along with the use of transponders, the airport says it has also created designated routes for aircraft to take to the runway, which they believe can minimize any runway crossings.

With these measures in place, the airport says it has reduced the number of runway incursions by half over the past five years.

“Our goal is clearly zero intrusion, and the only way to get to that zero intrusion is to generate awareness about how important runway safety is.”

– Mason Khan, with files from The Associated Press

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