Runway Safety

Resources and best practices information to assist operators in reducing the risk of runway excursions.

News

New Study Affirms Effectiveness of Runway Guard Lights Feb. 1, 2024: Results of an FAA study demonstrate the value of runway guard lights as a runway incursion mitigation tool.
NBAA News Hour: Elevating Runway and Surface Safety in Business Aviation Nov. 30, 2023: Vigilance, patience and training are the essential tools that will elevate business aviation’s runway safety record and ensure that the industry will grow, experts said during an NBAA News Hour webinar.
FAA Issues Notice on Runway Obstacle Analysis Products for Part 135 Operators Nov. 6, 2023: The FAA has released new guidance reminding Part 135 operators of the requirements and authorizations necessary to use airport aeronautical data, including airport runway analysis products.
Arrival Alert Notices, Airport Diagram Symbols Focus on Wrong-Surface Hotspots Mitigation Efforts Feb. 13, 2023: The FAA updated InFO 22001 – Arrival Alert Notice and Airport Diagram Symbols for Wrong-Surface Hotspots – which provides information on the testing of AANs and updated airport diagram symbols in an effort to mitigate runway confusion.
FAA Testing Solar-Powered Airfield Lighting Solutions May 27, 2022: At Penn Yan Airport (PEO) in the Finger Lakes region of New York, the FAA is testing solar-powered airfield lighting products, which could offer small, rural GA airports a cost-effective lighting solution.
New Chart Symbology Aims to Curb Wrong Surface Incidents May 26, 2022: Newly standardized symbols on airport charts and diagrams highlighting potential hotspots for wrong surface incursions will help pilots avoid such incidents while taxiing and on approach to land.
Podcast: Avoiding Wrong Surface Incidents May 16, 2022: The FAA will soon provide new tools to help pilots understand what the airport view will look like from the flight deck as they approach and where the risks for selecting the wrong surface exist.
Podcast: Tips for Winter Operations Oct. 25, 2021: Winter weather has already arrived in some parts of the U.S., and with it comes additional challenges for business aircraft operators and the airports that serve them, especially when runways and ramps become contaminated. Three experts offer some tips on how to cope with winter weather.
Podcast: Tips for Avoiding Runway Excursions Oct. 18, 2021: Runway excursions remain a significant safety concern in business aviation, but proper preparation, along with a new resource from NBAA, can help prevent these mishaps.
NBAA News Hour Explains TALPA Winter Runway Condition Reporting Oct. 26, 2020: With winter looming, the Oct. 23. 2020, NBAA News Hour webinar detailed how airports measure contaminated runway conditions and how business aviation pilots may use the Takeoff and Landing Performance Assessment to determine their aircraft’s landing performance.
Handle With Care Sept. 21, 2020: Operators that use the International Standard International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling have a systematic way to help avoid aircraft damage on the ground.
Slip Sliding Away With Runway Excursions May 5, 2020: Runway excursions continue to be a problem, and not just during landing in bad weather. What can be done to mitigate them?
Flight Crews: Working to Decrease Wrong-Surface Incidents Feb. 10, 2020: The FAA and industry are working together to reduce wrong-surface incidents, which occur when an aircraft takes off from or lands on an incorrect runway or taxiway, or even at a wrong airport.
Runway Safety Lights Now Fully Operational at BWI, SFO Dec. 3, 2019: Runway safety lights are now fully operational at 20 U.S. airports, following completion of the automated safety systems at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO).
Tips to Avoid Wrong Surface Incidents Sept. 9, 2019: NBAA, the FAA and the National Air Traffic Controller Association are among the stakeholders working together to reduce the number of wrong surface incidents across the country.
FAA Video Offers Runway Safety Tips for California’s Chino Airport Aug. 2, 2019: An FAA-produced video series aims to ensure pilots understand the unique runway safety challenges at several general aviation airports. One such video focuses on issues at Chino Airport in Southern California.
FAA Cautions Pilots: Landing Data May Not Ensure Safe Stopping Margin July 10, 2019: An FAA SAFO warns turbojet operators that advisory data for wet runway landings may not provide a safe stopping margin, especially in conditions of moderate or heavy rain.
FAA Video Offers Runway Safety Tips for California’s Van Nuys Airport May 14, 2019: An FAA safety video focuses on four issues operators should be aware of at Van Nuys Airport in Southern California: minimal space between parallel runways, line up and wait, wrong runway landings and helicopter/fixed-wing operations.
With NBAA Input, FAA Unveils New SAFO on Assessing Landing Conditions March 20, 2019: The FAA has released a new SAFO to help operators ensure they have sufficient landing distance to avoid overrunning a paved runway that is not dry.
FAA Video Offers Runway Safety Tips for California’s John Wayne Airport Jan. 4, 2019: An FAA video focuses on three issues at John Wayne Airport, Orange County in Southern California: runway exiting, runway incursion hotspots and helicopter/fixed-wing operations.
Aspen Airport Leaves the Runway Lights on to Stop Wrong Surface Landings Dec. 26, 2018: The tower at Aspen-Pitkin County Airport said it would leave the lights for Runway 15 on during the day to avoid a wrong surface landing incident.
FAA Video Highlights Runway Safety Best Practices at California’s Hayward Airport Nov. 28, 2018: An FAA-produced video focuses on runway safety at Hayward Executive Airport in California’s San Francisco Bay area.
FAA, Industry Tackle Wrong Surface Events at Safety Summit Aug. 28, 2018: Of the 596 wrong surface landing/approach events from fiscal 2016 to fiscal 2018, 86 percent involved general aviation aircraft.
New Runway Condition Reporting Methodology Improves Airport Safety May 15, 2018: Learn how TALPA, the FAA's new method of assessing wet airport surface conditions, is helping improve runway safety, in the May/June 2018 issue of Business Aviation Insider magazine, the 10th Annual Safety Issue.
Collaborative Safety Initiatives Reduce Runway Incursions at Honolulu Airport Feb. 2, 2018: At Hawaii’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, hold lines between Runways 4L-22R and 4R-22L have been realigned, which aviation officials hope will cut down on runway incursions.
Pilots Encouraged to Review Updated Training Module on Precision Runway Monitor Approaches Nov. 2, 2017: “Precision Runway Monitor Pilot Procedures” replaces training videos with streamlined training material, and provides the most up-to-date information on how to conduct PRM approaches, which allow simultaneous, independent approaches in closely spaced, parallel runways.
Safety Alert Highlights Importance of Training on Runway Status Lights Oct. 26, 2017: A recent Safety Alert for Operators aims to ensure aircraft operators, pilots and airport personnel are aware of the installation, meaning and use of runway status lights. This new alert is part of the FAA and aviation industry’s ongoing efforts to prevent runway incursions and collisions.
New FAA InFO Underscores Importance of ‘Committed to Stop’ Points Aug. 11, 2017: In a recent “Information for Operators” (InFO 17009), the FAA informed operators of turbine-powered aircraft about the importance of establishing a point during landing where a go-around or rejected landing procedure would not be initiated, and the only option will be bringing the aircraft to a stop.
Best Practices for Calculating Runway Landing Distance May 17, 2017: What’s the safest way to calculate runway landing distance while reflecting real-world pilot and airplane performance? It depends on whether you are a Part 91, a Part 135 operator or a Part 135 “eligible on-demand operator.”
TALPA Tested in First Season of Implementation May 10, 2017: The recently -unveiled Takeoff and Landing Performance Assessment is providing pilots with more accurate and complete situational awareness of information about runway surface conditions.
New RNAV Approaches Enable Greater Access to Santa Monica Airport April 25, 2017: Three new RNAV approach procedures into Santa Monica Municipal Airport (SMO) will go into effect later this week, dramatically expanding access to the Southern California airfield in adverse weather conditions. The new procedures follow more than two years of engagement by NBAA with the FAA.
Business Pilots Urged to Take Runway Incursion Survey April 20, 2017: Because business aircraft operators share runways with so many recreational GA pilots, the committee believes input from the NBAA pilot community is important in developing a comprehensive and accurate response for researchers.
BWI, SFO the Latest Airports to Implement Runway Status Lights April 4, 2017: Pilots operating at 20 U.S. airports must be aware of a new, red-light system rolled out to improve runway safety and mitigate runway incursions. Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall and San Francisco International are the latest airports to implement runway status lights (RWSLs).
NBAA Webinar: New Runway Condition Reporting Brings Consistency, Clarity Oct. 21, 2016: New FAA takeoff and landing performance assessment standards for reporting runway conditions went into effect Oct. 1,2016, bringing consistent procedures to a safety challenge for all types of operators and aircraft.
Honolulu Airport Video Underscores Runway Safety Team Collaboration Oct. 11, 2016: NBAA and other stakeholders have collaborated on an instructional video and other educational tools to increase pilot awareness of unique airfield-safety aspects at Honolulu International Airport (HNL).
Learn About New Field Condition Reporting With Upcoming NBAA Webinar Oct. 7, 2016: An Oct. 20, 2016, NBAA webinar - Get Prepared for New Field Condition Reporting - will provide a thorough review of the new runway condition assessment matrix at the core of the revised takeoff and landing performance assessment practices.
Airports to Implement New Runway Contamination Reporting in October July 28, 2016: Effective Oct. 1,2016, any airport receiving federal funds will be required to utilize the runway condition assessment matrix to categorize runway conditions.
NBAA Offering Guide on Runway Excursion Prevention Feb. 18, 2016: The NBAA Safety Committee has produced a new 16-page guide to help flight departments reduce the risks of runway excursions.
Dulles Meeting Emphasizes Need to Curb GA Runway Violations June 4, 2014: Business aviation stakeholders at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) were among those in attendance at a May 2014 Runway Safety Action Team meeting, where FAA officials reviewed issues affecting safe operations.
Runway Status Lights Debut at Washington-Dulles July 25, 2013: Runway status lights are now operational on runways and taxiways at Washington-Dulles International Airport.
Webinar Probes Takeoff/Landing Performance, Obstacle Issues July 12, 2013: A webinar, titled Transport Airplane Performance – Briefing for Business Aviation Pilots & Operators, is available online for viewing by NBAA Members.
Uptick in Runway Incursions at Moline Provides Lesson for All Pilots July 10, 2013: A recent spike in runway incursions at Quad City International Airport in Moline, IL led representatives from the FAASTeam to issue a safety advisory to pilots.
MITRE Seeks Pilots for Runway Visibility Study June 17, 2013: The MITRE Corporation's Center for Advanced Aviation System Development is recruiting pilots for a study evaluating proposed changes to runway standards at small airports.
Improving Surface Operations a Big Issue for 2013 Dec. 10, 2012: Improving airport surface operations is one of the top 10 items on the National Transportation Safety Board’s 2013 'Most Wanted' list.
Safety Seminars Highlight Runway Excursions July 24, 2012: A series of free seminars in the Northeast in the summer of 2012 is bringing attention to the issue of runway excursions.
The Case for EMAS: Improving the Outcome of a Runway Overrun May 17, 2012: Though the need for engineered materials arresting systems (EMAS) isn’t frequent, business aviation operators and airports involved in some recent runway overrun accidents have found that the safety benefits far outweigh the costs.
Pilots Reminded to Observe New ATC Phraseology Dec. 5, 2011: As NBAA reported in September, the FAA has begun using new phraseology to warn pilots of potential risks associated with runways shortened due to construction. When a runway has been temporarily or permanently shortened, the words 'WARNING' and 'SHORTENED' will be communicated. These new cautions are issued in Automatic Terminal Information (ATIS) messages as well as departure and landing clearances disseminated by air traffic control (ATC).
FAA Seeks More Bird-Strike Reporting at Community Airports Nov. 14, 2011: A fresh FAA initiative to increase bird-strike reporting by general aviation (GA) allows reporting through the FAA's bird-strike database on the web.
FAA Seeks More Bird-Strike Reporting at Community Airports Nov. 14, 2011: A fresh FAA initiative to increase bird-strike reporting has launched for the benefit of general aviation (GA). The new campaign is employing internet technology for the first time, allowing reporting through the FAA’s bird-strike database on the web.
What Is the Ideal Time for a Takeoff Briefing? Oct. 31, 2011: There's no question that pilots should conduct a thorough takeoff briefing prior to taking the runway, but should that process be conducted even before starting the engines?
FAA Reports Remarkable Drop In Runway Incursions June 20, 2011: In June 2010, the FAA reported that the number of serious runway incursions at airports across the U.S. dropped more than 90-percent during the previous decade.
NTSB Recommendations Likely to Impact FAA Runway Safety Margin Discussions Oct. 4, 2007: On December 8, 2005, Southwest Airlines flight 1248, a Boeing 737-74H, (N471WN), ran off the departure end of runway 31 center (31C) after landing in a snow storm at Chicago Midway International Airport. The airplane rolled through a blast fence, an airport perimeter fence, and onto an adjacent roadway, where it struck an automobile before coming to a stop.
FAA Issues Urgent Reminder to Air Carriers Regarding Operating in Ice Pellet/Snow Conditions Dec. 21, 2005: On Dec. 21, 2005, the FAA issued a reminder to airlines, charter operators and FAA inspectors that operating in ice pellet conditions with anti-icing fluids on the critical surfaces of an aircraft is contrary to FAA guidance and policy.

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