One of the high-profile, close-call incidents that occurred this year was a runway incursion at JFK, where an American Airlines 777 taxied across a runway without a clearance. This forced a Delta 737 crew to abort their takeoff. According to the NTSB, the aircraft came within 1400 feet of each other. An extremely visible event, to be sure, but not so different from occurrences bordering on threats that occur frequently at busy (and sometimes even not-so-busy) airports. The following strategies can help all aviators avoid the dreaded mahogany desk, or worse.
Constant Vigilance
The moment you step on airport property, your legal, financial and personal risks go up substantially. (Arguably, this occurs any time you step out of the house, but this is not Personal and Automobile Safety Magazine, after all.) Ramp safety is important, and plenty of damage and injury has occurred before aircraft movement has begun. Be in the mindset of threat mitigation as soon as you get to the airport until the plane is safely put to bed. For ground operations specifically, this means taxiing heads-up and avoiding distractions like programming the panel or calling for release.
