Runway Risk: How to Cut the Hazards

Friday, September 19, 2014 at 07:12 PM ET

Verified

** EMAS beds are being installed at the runway ends
of scores of U.S. airports. Made of blocks of
lightweight, crushable cement, they are designed to
safely stop airplanes that overrun runways.**

Key Takeaways:

Runway excursions are a critical and often fatal aviation safety issue, for which pilots frequently lack adequate training, despite these events being less common than runway incursions.
Primary causes include unstabilized approaches and late rejected takeoffs, emphasizing the need for pilots to thoroughly understand aircraft performance, make timely go-around/go-no-go decisions, and refuse unsafe clearances.
While pilot actions are key to prevention, airport safety infrastructure like Runway Safety Areas (RSAs) and Engineered Material Arresting Systems (EMAS) are crucial in mitigating the severe outcomes of unavoidable excursions.

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On Sept. 29, 2013, a Cessna Citation CJ2 landing at Santa Monica Airport near Los Angeles suddenly veered off the runway and crashed through a hangar, bursting into flames and killing all aboard.

Three months later, on Jan. 5, 2014, the pilots of a Challenger 601 landing with a strong, gusting tailwind in Aspen, Colorado, lost control and crashed next to the runway, killing one of the crew members and critically injuring two others.