The Many Factors That Lead to Runway Overruns

Stabilized approaches are critical to mitigating the risks.

Meg Godlewski

Monday, January 02, 2023 at 02:08 PM ET

Verified

2011 aircraft excursion at Munich International. [Credit: German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation]

Key Takeaways:

Runway overruns are a significant aviation safety concern, frequently caused by unstabilized approaches, excess speed, and environmental factors like wet runways or tailwinds.
Preventing overruns requires meticulous preflight planning, precise energy management to achieve a stabilized approach with optimal airspeed and descent, and the readiness to execute a go-around if the approach is not stable.
Pilots must understand the critical impact of various factors, such as how a 10% excess landing speed can increase landing distance by at least 21%, and utilize scenario-based training to mitigate risks.

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On the evening of December 27, 2022, a Embraer EMB-505 Phenom 300 skidded off the runway at Jack Thorp /Hawthorne Municipal Airport (KHHR). There were no injuries to the seven persons on board.

The local television crews captured video of the aircraft off the end of the 4,884-foot by 100-foot runway, noting “It traveled all the way to the end of the runway before sliding off, possibly due to the wet tarmac.” The airplane traveled through the airport perimeter fence before coming to rest on what appeared to be a street.