NTSB issues 'urgent' warning on airport runway safety.
USA Today
A Mexicana passenger jet lands behind a holding Singapore Airlines Cargo plane at Los Angeles International Airport. (Chris Kilroy/View Full Size)
WASHINGTON -- Close calls between jets happen with alarming frequency on the nation's runways and federal regulators need to find better ways to curb the problem, the National Transportation Safety Board ruled Tuesday.
The NTSB said that existing runway safety systems are trouble-plagued and the government has been slow to make improvements. The findings were released as part of the agency's annual "Most Wanted" transportation safety enhancements for the U.S. aviation system.
"This is a safety issue and needs to be fixed," said John Clark, chief of the NTSB aviation safety division.
The most deadly crash in aviation history occurred in 1977 when two Boeing 747s collided in the Canary Islands, killing 583 people. Thirty-four people died in Los Angeles in 1991 when a jet collided with a commuter plane on a runway.
Despite numerous safety efforts, runway incidents have stubbornly refused to fall in recent years. In the fiscal year ending Oct. 31, there were 324 runway incidents, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, which oversees aviation safety regulations. Most posed little risk of a crash, but as many as 30 serious near collisions occur each year.
The NTSB highlighted several near collisions Tuesday. In each case, a flawed warning system put in place by the FAA did not prevent the incident:
On June 6 in Boston, an Aer Lingus Airbus A330 and a US Airways Boeing 737 nearly slammed into each other as they raced toward takeoff on intersecting runways. The warning system, which tracks jets on the ground with radar, was not programmed to issue an alarm on intersecting runways.
On July 6, an Israeli 767 passenger jet and an Airborne Express DC-8 cargo jet nearly collided at Kennedy International Airport in New York as the Airborne jet accelerated for takeoff. The safety system had been shut off because its radar did not work well in the rain.
On Sept. 22 in Las Vegas, an Air Canada A319 and an America West A320 nearly hit as the America West jet took off. The warning system issued an alarm, but too late for controllers to take action.
The FAA is changing the software on its warning systems to prevent incidents like the one in Boston. It also is rolling out enhanced systems that will work better in the rain. This year, it began testing a new system that will for the first time warn pilots when they are at risk of colliding with another plane.
"We are attacking the runway safety issue," FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said.
The NTSB also voted to keep several other issues on its most wanted list: preventing dangerous ice on aircraft wings, reducing the risks that jet fuel tanks can explode and improving "black box" recorders to give investigators better data after crashes. The agency, which has no regulatory power, uses the meeting to highlight what it sees as the most important safety issues.
