Runway Excursions
Learn about preventing Runway Excursions at Machester Airport
What is a Runway Excursion?
A runway excursion is an event during which an aircraft runs off the end of a runway (over-run) or the side of a runway (veer-off).
What are the effects of a runway excursion?
The effects of a runway excursion could be any of the following:
Injury/ death to persons on board an aircraft.
Injury/ death to persons not on board an aircraft.
Aircraft damage.
Damage to airfield infrastructure.
Airport delays due to the runway being obstructed by a disabled aircraft.
As a general rule, the effects are likely to be more severe if an aircraft is moving at high speed.
Runway Excursion Statistics
Approximately 25% of all air transport incidents and accidents and 96% of all runway accidents are attributed to runway excursions.
Most runway excursions occur during landing and the incidence of over-runs and veer-offs is almost equal.
Most take-off accidents involving a runway excursion are over-runs.
What are the Most Common Contributing Factors?
Factor | Description / Examples |
|---|---|
Latent Conditions – Conditions present in the system before the accident and triggered by various possible factors. | |
Flight Operations: Standard Operating Procedures and Checking | Inadequate or absent: Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). Operational instructions and/or policies. Company regulations. Controls to assess compliance with regulations and SOPs. |
Flight Operations: Training systems | Inadequate training and competence checking of flight crews. |
Regulatory Oversight | Inadequate regulatory oversight by the State. |
Safety Management | Absent or ineffective: Safety policy and objectives. Safety risk management (including hazard identification process). Safety assurance (including Quality Management). Safety promotion. |
Threats – An event or error that occurs outside the influence of the flight crew, but which requires crew attention and management if safety margins are to be maintained. | |
Mismanaged threat: A threat that is linked to or induces a flight crew error. | |
Meteorology | Includes thunderstorms, poor visibility/Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC), wind (crosswinds/tailwinds, wind shear, gusty wind) and icing conditions. |
Airport Facilities - Contaminated Runway/Taxiway | Poor braking action as a result of contaminated runways/taxiways. Inconsistent reporting of braking action at airports around the world. Inadequate maintenance of runway surface, accumulation of rubber deposits (slippery when wet), multiple runway surface patch repairs resulting in inconsistent friction characteristics. |
Flight Crew Errors (Active Human Performance) – An observed flight crew deviation from organisational expectations or crew intentions. | |
Mismanaged error: An error that is linked to or induces additional error or an undesired aircraft state. | |
Failure to Go-around After Destabilisation During Approach | Flight crew does not execute a go-around after stabilisation requirements are not met. |
Manual Handling/Flight Controls | Hand flying vertical, lateral, or speed deviations. Approach deviations by choice (e.g., flying below the glide slope). Missed runway/taxiway, failure to hold short, taxi above speed limit. Incorrect flaps, speed brake, autobrake, thrust reverser or power settings. |
Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) Adherence | Intentional or unintentional failure to cross-verify (automation) inputs. Intentional or unintentional failure to follow SOPs. Pilot flying makes own automation changes. Sterile cockpit violations. ‘Press-on-itis’. |
Undesired Aircraft States (UAS) – A flight-crew-induced aircraft state that clearly reduces safety margins; a safety- compromising situation that results from ineffective error management. An undesired aircraft state is recoverable. Mismanaged UAS: A UAS that is linked to or induces additional flight crew errors. | |
Unstable Approach | Vertical, lateral or speed deviations in the portion of flight close to landing. |
Long/floated/bounced/fast/firm/ off-centre/crabbed landing |
The Effect of Multiple Contributing Factors
In the majority of runway excursions any one of the aforementioned factors can lead to an unsafe outcome, however runway excursions are usually the result of multiple contributing factors which tend to occur in a sequence (chain) of events.
Some contributing factors, when combined, can dramatically increase the risk of a runway excursion.
Recognising the presence or emergence of contributing factors and taking appropriate, timely actions are key to reducing the likelihood of a runway excursion.
What are Our Defences & Mitigation Measures Against Runway Excursions?
There are several defences that aerodrome operators, flight crews and Air Traffic Control can use to help prevent/mitigate against a runway excursion. In no particular order, some examples are:
Aerodrome operators must ensure that runway friction measurements are taken, appropriately analysed and when required, remedial action is taken to improve runway friction characteristics.
Aerodrome operator use of the ICAO Global Reporting Format (GRF).
Aerodrome operator to ensure that runway strips meet or exceed regulatory requirements in terms of Cleared & Graded Areas and delethalisation of buried vertical surfaces.
Flight crews should never make the decision to reject a take-off after V1 unless it is impossible to rotate or it is certain that the safety of the aircraft would be endangered if it became airborne.
Flight crew must observe correct aircraft handling techniques as specified in Flight/ Operations manuals.
Correct calculation by flight crew of limiting aircraft weight and speeds etc.
Appropriate and timely flight crew decision making and technique for rejecting a landing or take-off.
Airline company cultures should actively discourage ‘press-on-itis’ and employ a no-fault go-around policy.
Accurate and timely reporting of prevailing weather conditions by ATC.
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