Statement of Bruce Landsberg

Executive Director
AOPA Air Safety Foundationbefore the

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Subcommittee on Aviation

The Honorable John J. Duncan, Chairman

on Runway Incursions

November 13, 1997

Mr. Chairman, my name is Bruce Landsberg, and I am Executive Director of the AOPA Air Safety Foundation.

Affiliated with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, the AOPA Air Safety Foundation is the nation�s largest nonprofit organization providing aviation safety education and programs to the general aviation community. More than half of all pilots in the United States are members of AOPA, making it the world�s largest pilot association.

I also chair the FAA�s RE&D Advisory Committee�s Runway Incursions Subcommittee.

Mr. Chairman, you called this hearing today because runway incursions � accidental approach of an aircraft onto a runway that may result in a hazardous situation � have increased recently. Runway incursions increased 18.6 percent last year over 1995�s figure. Most runway incursions � 68 percent � over the last few years involve general aviation aircraft operating under FAR Part 91.

The mission of the AOPA Air Safety Foundation is to proactively improve general aviation safety. We are working aggressively to deal with the runway incursion problem, in cooperation with pilots, airports, and the FAA. The runway incursion campaign is an industry-government partnership. Our work with the FAA on this issue has been cooperative and productive, and I commend the FAA for its efforts in this area.

Mr. Chairman, you will be pleased to know that, in an era of billion-dollar solutions to air safety problems, runway incursions can be reduced significantly with relatively inexpensive low-tech methods � better paint, lights and signs. In addition, there are some high tech (and expensive) items that may be considered � particularly in high density air carrier airports that must continue to operate in periods of reduced visibility.

The Causes of Runway Incursions

The numbers alone do not tell the whole story of runway incursions. To understand what is behind these figures, and to understand how the aviation community is dealing with the issue, we must look at the causes of runway incursions.

First, I mentioned that the majority of incursions, 68 percent, involve general aviation aircraft. However, 75 percent of all departures by civil aircraft are made in general aviation aircraft, so the proportion of runway incursions involving general aviation is not out of the ordinary. Furthermore, most general aviation operations are in daylight hours and in good weather. This is the likely explanation for the fact that only two runway incursions in this decade, including the recent tragedy in Quincy, Illinois, have resulted in fatal accidents. While runway incursions are a serious concern to air safety, general aviation has not traditionally been a significant factor in fatalities due to runway incursions.

Virtually all runway incursions are unintentional. The three most common errors by pilots that lead to runway incursions are failure to hold short, meaning the pilot moves into a takeoff position prematurely, turning on the wrong taxiway, or crossing a runway without clearance. The causes of these unintentional errors that lead to runway incursions can be traced to confusion on the part of a pilot brought on by inadequate, confusing, or poorly visible signs or markers and poor communication with air traffic controllers. The best analogy is signs, painted lines, and traffic lights on the roads. If these traffic controls are inadequate, confusing, or poorly visible, many near-misses and a few accidents may result.

Air Safety Foundation Pursuing Unique Solutions

The AOPA Air Safety Foundation and the general aviation community is working aggressively to prevent runway incursions.

Since the pilot is such a key element, the Air Safety Foundation has responded with a proactive education and awareness campaign in the wake of the Quincy accident. Mr. Chairman, I would like to enter into the record some of the products the AOPA Air Safety Foundation has developed and uses to reduce runway incursions. In addition, I would be glad to share any of these materials with any member of the Subcommittee. They include:

• Our collision avoidance " Seminar in a Box" sent to every FAA Safety Program Manager in cooperation with the FAA. This is a self-contained program with videotapes, pamphlets, and even door prizes designed to educate pilots on runway collision avoidance and airport operations. This consists of 100 kits provided to FAA and individual safety counselors to direct discussion of the Quincy accident and safety around non-towered airports in particular.
• Our publication on operations at non-towered airports given to all attendees of our safety seminars and aviation conventions and events. This document was cited by the NTSB at the public hearing on the Quincy accident as an excellent resource that was being widely distributed.
• Our safety poster sent nationwide to 5,000 Fixed-Base Operators, and flight schools. NTSB also cited this as evidence of the Foundation�s quick response. We developed, printed and distributed the posters nationally less than eight weeks after the accident.
• Articles on taxi and runway procedures in AOPA�s Pilot magazine, which is read by 340,000 pilots. Every month, I write an article dealing with safety topics. In the January 1997 issue, two months after the Quincy accident, we published a column called "Ground Encounters" dealing with ground collisions. A similar article on that topic � "STOP, LOOK and LISTEN" � was published in August 1995. A complete analysis of the Quincy accident will be published this December.

In cooperation with the FAA, which helped fund some of these efforts, we are already working on a similar campaign for operations at towered airports.

Other Solutions

As on the roads, the solution on airport aprons, taxiways and runways is first, improved traffic controls and communications, and second, better understanding and use of traffic controls by pilots. By better understanding and use of traffic controls, I mean improvement in the area of human factors, which is the interaction of people with technology.

Better quality and redundancy in surface navigation aids � signs, runway markings, and lighting � along with better design of overall airport surface navigation as a whole system will reduce incursions. For towered airports, improved procedures for air traffic control communications in taxi operations and airport management attention is also needed. FAA�s RE&D Advisory Committee�s Runway Incursions Subcommittee expects to issue recommendations on these improvements by the end of January. There are several operational groups that need to work cooperatively to solve this problem.

• Pilots need to understand and adhere to clearances.
• Controllers need to provide clear and unambiguous instructions as well as provide a backup in the event of pilot transgressions.
• Airport Management must provide proper signs, lighting, and clear paint markings to provide pilots with well marked taxi paths and runway entrances.
• Government and private charting sources should provide larger and clearer depiction of runway and taxiway areas.

Mr. Chairman, I pledge the continued commitment of the AOPA Air Safety Foundation to reducing runway incursions and the aviation safety problems they represent. This concludes my comments. I would be happy to answer any questions.

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