The FAA says runway incursions occur three times each day on average and represent a serious safety concern. The data also show GA pilots are involved in about 80 percent of runway incursions. “The question is, what are GA pilots doing, or not doing, that results in so many runway incursions?” Donna F. Wilt asked. Wilt is a professor at the Florida Institute of Technology’s College of Aeronautics.
Learning the answer to these questions means talking to pilots most likely to experience an incursion, the reason behind an online survey aimed at GA pilots.
“By analyzing such occurrences we can help mitigate those dangerous situations,” Wilt explained.
The study is being conducted by the FIT College of Aeronautics, Hampton University Department of Aviation and Purdue University Department of Aviation Technology. It’s funded through the Partnership to Enhance General Aviation Safety, Accessibility and Sustainability (PEGASAS) and the FAA Center of Excellence for GA. The Society of Flight Educators is also a partner with PEGASAS for the study and is encouraging its members to participate in the survey before it closes on April 30, 2017.
