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Ground Emergency: Exploring Origins, Consequences, Prohibition, and Protection Strategies in Airport Landing Incidents

Aircraft departures or landings veering off or overshooting the runway, known as runway excursions, account for a substantial portion of aviation accidents worldwide, constituting roughly one-third of such incidents (Flight Safety, ICAO). Examining the Causes of Runway Excursions.

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Aircraft departures or landings resulting in the plane veering off or overshooting the runway are...
Aircraft departures or landings resulting in the plane veering off or overshooting the runway are referred to as runway excursions. These incidents, which account for about one-third of all aviation mishaps worldwide (Flight Safety, ICAO), pose a significant safety risk. Understanding the causes of runway excursions is crucial.

Runway Excursions: A Major Aviation Safety Issue

Ground Emergency: Exploring Origins, Consequences, Prohibition, and Protection Strategies in Airport Landing Incidents

Runway excursions are a common yet significant safety concern in aviation. These incidents, where a plane veers off or overshoots the runway during takeoff or landing, account for about one-third of all aviation accidents worldwide (Flight Safety, ICAO).

Understanding Runway Excursions

Runway excursions pose a considerable threat due to factors such as pilot error, adverse weather, mechanical failures, and runway contamination. Given their frequency and potential severity, reducing runway excursions is a top priority for aviation authorities.

Common Causes of Runway Excursions

  1. Pilot Error: Poor decision-making or procedure mistakes during takeoff or landing can lead to runway excursions. This may involve misjudging speed, altitude, or runway length.
  2. Adverse Weather: Slippery runways or reduced visibility due to rain, snow, or strong winds can increase the risk of an excursion.
  3. Mechanical Failures: Failures in braking systems, engines, or other critical components can prevent an aircraft from stopping within the runway's limits.
  4. Runway Contamination: Ice, snow, or water on the runway can reduce friction, causing aircraft to skid and veer off the runway.

Possible Effects of Runway Excursions

  • Injury or death of passengers and crew,
  • Damage to the aircraft,
  • Damage to the airport infrastructure,
  • Disruption to nearby communities,
  • High workload for emergency services,
  • Possible airport closure,
  • Flight delays and diversions,
  • Increased workload for Air Traffic Management (ATM),
  • Loss of revenue,
  • Negative impact on a company's reputation,
  • Insurance issues.

Modern aircraft are equipped with systems like automatic braking aimed at preventing runway excursions. Pilots also receive rigorous training to handle complex landing and takeoff scenarios, including simulations of various weather conditions and mechanical failures.

Importance of Procedure Adherence

Strict adherence to standard operating procedures (SOPs) is essential in preventing runway excursions. Pilots must follow prescribed procedures during takeoff and landing to mitigate the risk of an excursion. Deviating from these procedures can increase the likelihood of an excursion.

Notable Runway Excursion Incidents

  1. Philippine Airlines Flight 137 (1998): An Airbus A320-214 overshot the runway while landing at Bacolod City Domestic Airport. Despite no fatalities onboard, three people were killed on the ground.
  2. Air France Flight 358 (2005): An Airbus A340 overran the runway and crashed into Etobicoke Creek after landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport. All passengers and crew survived, though twelve people sustained serious injuries.
  3. Southwest Airlines Flight 1248 (2005): A Boeing 737-700 overran the runway while landing during a snowstorm and crashed into automobile traffic, resulting in a fatality on the ground.
  4. S7 Airlines Flight 778 (2006): An Airbus A310 overshot the runway and struck a concrete barrier, killing 125 of the 203 occupants.
  5. Pegasus Airlines Flight 2193 (2020): A B737-800 overshot the runway at Sabiha Gökçen Int. Airport, Turkey, killing three people and injuring 179 others.

By implementing preventive strategies like enhanced pilot training, improved weather forecasting, runway maintenance, runway safety areas, and advanced aircraft technology, the risk of runway excursions can be substantially reduced.

With technological innovations such as Runway Overrun Prevention Systems (ROPs), Engineered Materials Arrestor Systems (EMAS), advanced surveillance systems, and the Global Action Plan for the Prevention of Runway Excursions (GAPPRE), the aviation industry is making strides in improving runway safety. Additionally, best practices like regular safety audits, improved runway condition assessment, and advanced flight data monitoring contribute to enhanced safety standards.

  1. The aviation industry, in a bid to address runway excursions - a major safety issue, is investing in technology such as Runway Overrun Prevention Systems (ROPs) and Engineered Materials Arrestor Systems (EMAS) for better runway safety.
  2. Financial implications of aviation accidents, including runway excursions, are considerable, encompassing damages to the aircraft and airport infrastructure, flight delays, revenue loss, and negative impacts on a company's reputation.
  3. Just as the energy sector focuses on efficiency and safety, so does aviation, with modern aircraft featuring systems like automatic braking and advanced training programs for pilots to minimize runway excursions.
  4. Runway excursion accidents, alongside examples in sports, have shown that adherence to standard operating procedures (SOPs) is crucial in preventing such incidents, reducing the risk of injury, aircraft damage, and airport disruptions.
  5. In the vast and complex world of transportation, accidents like runway excursions, despite being rare, demand constant attention from aviation authorities, emergency services, and the media (General News).
  6. Manufacturing companies within the aviation industry play a pivotal role in ensuring flight safety by consistently improving aircraft components, addressing mechanical failures, and implementing innovative solutions to prevent runway excursions.

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