Since about the time two airplanes tried to use the same airport at the same time, runway and taxiway collisions have been a safety issue. With the growth in traffic outpacing construction of new facilities in recent years, the FAA has also noticed greater numbers of what are called “wrong-surface events.” It’s a broad term, covering landings on the wrong runway, improper presence on a runway, getting lost on a taxiway and, of course, ground collisions. The latest in a series of FAA efforts to reduce the rate of these accidents and incidents is establishment of Arrival Alert Notices, AANs.
The agency says AANs “provide a graphic visually depicting the approach to a particular airport with a history of misalignment risk.” In addition to “language describing the misalignment risk area,” as shown in the example provided by the FAA at bottom left, an AAN apparently will include a black-and-white image of the airport as seen during an approach and graphics to supplement the textual description.
