Stems From Incident Involving A Boeing 737

The FAA has released a Safety Alert For Operators (SAFO) to alert airplane operators to the requirement that airport aeronautical data must include information obtained from Airport Facility Directories (AFD), Aeronautical Information Publications (AIP) or via Notices to Airmen (NOTAM), and other approved sources for restricted runways.

On July 29, 2014 at 0551 CDT, a Boeing 737 air carrier airplane was cleared by the tower to depart on a runway which was not authorized for scheduled air carrier aircraft with more than 9 passenger seats. The incident was quickly rectified by the airport authority with the local control tower; however it brought to light the issue of an air carrier operating on a runway that is restricted by NOTAM or in the AFD. The runway in question was annotated in the AFD under the Airport Remarks section as being restricted for scheduled air carrier operations with more than 9 passenger seats, or unscheduled air carrier operations at least 31 passenger seats.

Air Carrier’s operating under part 121 are required to have an approved system for obtaining, maintaining, and distributing, to appropriate personnel, current aeronautical data for each airport it uses to ensure a safe operation at that airport. This system is approved in Operations Specification (OpSpec) paragraph A009, Airports Aeronautical Data.

Directors of safety and directors of operations (Part 121); should review the Airport Aeronautical Data program approved in OpSpec A009 to ensure that information for runways that are restricted in the AIP, AFD or via NOTAMs or other approved sources are distributed to operations personnel to include dispatch personnel and pilots prior to beginning each flight/mission/leg. Non-certificated runways should not be available for the calculation of takeoff or landing data to further enhance safety and minimize the inherent risk in an aircraft being able to depart or land on a non-approved or certificated runway.

FMI: SAFO