AOPA responded quickly on Friday to set the record straight on general aviation runway incursions at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. The Dallas Morning News reported on a close call between a Delta Air Lines plane and a Continental jet Thursday after an air traffic controller cleared both onto the same runway. The article noted that this was the sixth runway incursion at DFW this year, and quoted the airport's runway safety program manager (an FAA official) as blaming general aviation pilots for incursions at DFW. However, all of the incidents cited in the article involved airline or cargo operations. AOPA sent a letter to the editor pointing out that GA pilots are no more likely to be involved in a runway incursion than airline pilots. According to FAA data, most GA incursions are classified as minor, with little or no risk of an accident. For more information, see AOPA President Phil Boyer's testimony to Congress.
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