Air Safety Experts Most Worried About Runways

Ground incidents increase over last six months

By Kevin Spak, Newser Staff

Posted Apr 25, 2008 8:31 AM CDT

(Newser) – FAA-mandated wiring fixes have grounded thousands of flights lately, but the runway is no safe place for planes, New York Times reports. Serious runway incidents nearly doubled to 15 over the past six months, compared with the same period a year ago. “Where we are most vulnerable at this moment is on the ground,” said the chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board.

Runway collisions are nearly always caused by human error, but they could be prevented with a variety of no-frills measures, including in-cockpit warning systems, something the FAA doesn’t yet require. “If you’ve got a GPS in your car, you have infinitely more detailed information about where you are than in the cockpit of an airplane on the ground at Kennedy,” said one pilot.

Airplanes line up for take-off on one of LaGuardia Airport's two runways in New York in this Nov. 24, 2004 file photo. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson, File)

A jet takes off down Runway 22, crossing the unlit Runway 26, at Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Ky. in this Aug. 29, 2006 file photo. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, file)

In this Tuesday, April 15, 2008 file photo, a Delta Airlines plane prepares to take off from a runway as a United Airlines plane, rear, lands at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, file)

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Air Safety Experts Most Worried About Runways

Ground incidents increase over last six months

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Planes Sent Toward Storms to Test Air Traffic Controller

FAA investigates Fla. incident in which 4 jets sent miles off course

FAA Questions American's Lightning Safety

Mechanics grumble after airline stops inspections

American Airlines Report Roasts FAA

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Crackdown will continue through June 30

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Air Safety Experts Most Worried About Runways

Ground incidents increase over last six months

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OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

FAA • airline industry • runway • airline • airline safety

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

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More Newser Stories

Planes Sent Toward Storms to Test Air Traffic Controller

FAA investigates Fla. incident in which 4 jets sent miles off course

FAA Questions American's Lightning Safety

Mechanics grumble after airline stops inspections

American Airlines Report Roasts FAA

Airline blames policy switch for thousands of canceled flights

Flight Chaos to Continue as FAA Gets Tough

Crackdown will continue through June 30

FAA Too Cozy With Airlines, Whistle-Blowers Say

Lawmakers cite agency's 'complacency' in letting safety risks fly

About Us

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Newser By Users

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