A collision between a Japan Airlines (JAL) passenger plane and a Japan Coast Guard aircraft occurred at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport (Haneda) on the 2nd, resulting in five deaths and many injuries. The tragedy has drawn attention to airport runway safety, especially the risk of “runway incursions.”
A tragedy in the aviation industry in the New Year, two planes collided at Haneda Airport and five people were killed
At the beginning of 2024, there were regrets in the Japanese aviation industry. A Japan Airlines Airbus A350 collided with a Japan Coast Guard De Havilland Dash 8 turboprop aircraft while landing on the runway of Haneda Airport on the 2nd. Japan Airlines Flight 379 All people escaped, but five members of the Coast Guard were killed. As the tragedy attracted global attention, it also brought the issue of runway safety once again into the focus of aviation safety.
When it comes to flight safety issues, many people first think of air crises, but more and more experts are warning about ground runway safety, including the risk of “runway incursions”. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) defines a runway incursion as the “incorrect presence” of aircraft, vehicles or personnel on designated landing and takeoff runways.
Runway incursions and near collisions raise red flags for global aviation safety
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stated that 19 serious runway incursions occurred in the United States from January to October 2023 alone, all of which were classified as “near-misses”. This was the highest number of incidents in the United States in 2016. For the most time in years, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has expressed concern. According to FAA data, false alarms of “near collisions” in the United States have increased by nearly 25% in the past decade.
A report by the American safety organization “Flight Safety Foundation” states that there will be 115 commercial aircraft accidents worldwide in 2022, two of which were runway collisions. In 1977, two Boeing 747 Jumbo passenger planes collided on a Spanish airport runway, killing 583 people. It remains the deadliest single aviation accident to this day.
Identify potential risks and investigate the main causes of airport runway incursions
AirWays Magazine reported that the main causes of the runway incursion were pilot deviation, operational errors and communication problems. Pilots who misunderstand instructions, spatial disorientation that may occur in low visibility, and procedural errors all pose the risk of runway incursions. As for operational errors such as air traffic control (ATC) errors, ground vehicle negligence and runway pollution, as well as communication problems such as language barriers and equipment failures, they are all potential risk factors.
Global air traffic is increasing, and the vast skies are becoming increasingly crowded. Experts call on countries around the world to take accelerated action to prevent the incidence of runway incursions from rising again. Hassan Shahidi, CEO of the Flight Safety Foundation, said that despite years of efforts to avoid runway incursions, these incidents continue to occur again and again. The risk of runway incursion is a global problem, and the consequences of an incursion are serious. This is a painful lesson learned from the Haneda Airport collision.
Global effort to strengthen runway incursion prevention systems
As early as 2006, ICAO issued the “Manual on Runway Incursion Prevention” (Doc9870-AN/463) to guide runway incursion prevention work. Implementing runway incursion prevention systems (RIPS), runway sensing and advisory systems (RAAS), enhanced lighting systems and improved signage can all improve aviation safety. The Federal Aviation Administration said that more than 30 airports in the United States have installed the “ASDE-X” system, which can use radar, satellites and multi-point positioning navigation tools to track ground conditions.
Airbus said in 2018 that it would cooperate with Honeywell to develop a system that can help avoid runway collisions, but the implementation date has not yet been announced, and the complex new aviation system may take many years. Shahidi said that better “situational awareness” technology can avoid major accidents and help air traffic controllers and pilots detect potential runway collisions.
Stephen Creamer, the former senior director of the International Civil Aviation Organization, emphasized that preventing a plane from hitting another plane when landing is one of the top five global safety priorities. The “Flight Safety Foundation” stated that runway incursions are one of the most persistent threats to aviation safety. The Global Action Plan to Prevent Runway Incursions (GAPRI) was launched at the end of last year. An international working group composed of 200 aviation professionals from 80 organizations around the world has focused on the prevention of runway incursions. This growing problem proposes 127 recommendations that could serve as a blueprint for solving the global problem of runway incursions.
Shahidi said that the complexity of the airport environment involves operators, air traffic control and ground service providers. It is crucial that all stakeholders work together to eliminate the risk of serious runway incursions.
(This article is written by central radio station Reprinted with permission; source of first image: Dazhi Image)
#Haneda #Airport #Collision #Risks #Runway #Incursions
2024-01-09 00:43:24
