Follows a Startling Amount of Near-Miss Ground Incidents

On October 15, the FAA announced that it would be opening an audit into runway incursion risks at the 45 busiest airports in the nation. This follows a recent train of near-miss ground incidents, mostly related to ATC deficiencies.

The review will build a risk profile for each field, identify potential weak points in procedures and equipment, and, eventually, generate recommendations to improve safety. It is slated to be completed by early 2025.

The FAA Air Traffic Safety Oversight Service, the agency leading the audit, commented that it “is committed to identifying and mitigating risk at every level.”

Researchers have suggested that there are several variables at fault for these runway hazards, many of which can be traced to the 2020 COVID outbreak. The industry took a dive and, as demand has continued to rise, employment is not growing with it. This has caused a drastic imbalance in both air traffic controller and pilot staffing and experience levels.

ATC systems have attempted to resolve this issue in their own special way… as in, enforcing mandatory overtime and six-day work weeks. Airport operations in the NYC area have seen cuts to minimum flight requirements, meaning that airlines could lose their takeoff and landing slots if they don’t use them 80% of the time.

Technology has also continued to fall behind. A report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that 51 of the 138 FAA ATC systems are unsustainable, citing outdated equipment, a parts shortage, and several other points of concern. In April, as a partial solution, the FAA committed to installing surface-awareness technology at four airports.

The federal office has chimed in to offer up its two cents on the issue, pushing to find funds for up to 2,000 new controller jobs.

One of the identified near-miss runway incursion incidents occurred on September 12 at Tennessee's Nashville International Airport (BNA). The NTSB’s statement, published on October 9, explained that ATC cleared an Alaska Airlines jet to take off just after telling a Southwest Airlines flight to cross the same runway.

BNA was one of the four fields chosen to receive new surface-awareness technology; however, it is unknown whether or not it was in use at the time of the head-to-head.

FMI: www.faa.gov