FAA Safety Briefing- March April 2021
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March/April 2021 Enhancing Surface Safety Federal Aviation 7 Anatomy of a 18 The Cost 26 Meet the FAA’s Administration Wrong Surface of Frost on Runway Safety Event Runways Professionals ABOUT THIS ISSUE ... U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration ISSN: 1057-9648 FAA Safety Briefing March/April 2021 The March/April 2021 issue of FAA Safety Briefing Volume 60/Number 2 focuses on the many facets of airport surface safety. Feature articles and departments provide a “road map” Pete Buttigieg Secretary of Transportation to the various tools, resources, and strategies airmen Steve Dickson Administrator can use to steer clear of risk during the ramp-to-runway Ali Bahrami Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety segment of their journey. We look at some technology Rick Domingo Executive Director, Flight Standards Service advances, both inside and outside the cockpit, that are Susan K. Parson Editor proving effective in the battle against runway incursions Managing Editor Tom Hoffmann and surface safety events. We also take a behind-the- Associate Editor / Photo Editor James Williams scenes look at the FAA’s surface safety stewards, the men Jennifer Caron Copy Editor / Quality Assurance Lead and women who manage the agency’s Runway Safety Paul Cianciolo Associate Editor / Social Media John Mitrione Art Director Program and who regularly depend on your feedback. Cover photo courtesy of Civil Air Patrol Lt. Col. Published six times a year, FAA Safety Briefing, formerly Robert Bowden. FAA Aviation News, promotes aviation safety by discussing current technical, regulatory, and procedural aspects affecting the safe operation and maintenance of aircraft. Although based on current Contact Information FAA policy and rule interpretations, all material is advisory or The magazine is available on the internet at: informational in nature and should not be construed to have www.faa.gov/news/safety_briefing regulatory effect. Certain details of accidents described herein may have been altered to protect the privacy of those involved. Comments or questions should be directed to the staff by: • Emailing: [email protected] The FAA does not officially endorse any goods, services, materials, or • products of manufacturers that may be referred to in an article. All Writing: Editor, FAA Safety Briefing, Federal Aviation brands, product names, company names, trademarks, and service marks Administration, AFS-850, 800 Independence Avenue, SW, are the properties of their respective owners. All rights reserved. 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You can also call (202) 512-1800 or 1-866-512-1800 and ask for Customer Service, or fax your information to (202) 512-2104. 2 FAA Safety Briefing DEPARTMENTS 2 Jumpseat: an executive policy perspective The FAA Safety Policy Voice of Non-commercial General Aviation 3 ATIS: GA news and current events 5 Aeromedical Advisory: a checkup on all things aeromedical 6 Condition Inspection: a look at specific medical conditions 34 Checklist: FAA resources and safety reminders 35 Drone Debrief: drone safety roundup 36 Nuts, Bolts, and Electrons: GA 26 maintenance issues 37 Angle of Attack: GA safety strategies Surface Safety Done Right Meet the FAA’s Runway Safety Professionals 38 Vertically Speaking: safety issues for rotorcraft pilots 39 Flight Forum: letters from the Safety Briefing mailbag 40 Postflight: an editor’s perspective Inside back cover FAA Faces: FAA employee profile Right Stuff: The Cost of Frost on Runways 14 Wrong Place, Wrong Time 18 A Look at Heated Pavement Fortune and Misfortune in Technology Surface Safety 7 The Anatomy of a Wrong Surface Event Discernment Through Dissection 10 Hot Spots! Part Deux Don’t Get Burned at Airport Hot Spots 22 Safe and Sound on the Ground An EFB APP-roach to Improving Surface Safety Runway Safety Crossword Puzzle 24 7 30 Roll of Honor 2020’s Master Pilot and Master Mechanic Award Winners March/April 2021 1 JUMPSEAT RICK DOMINGO, FLIGHT STANDARDS SERVICE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR THE SCOOP ON SURFACE SAFETY Runway Confusion. This term describes landing or departing, or attempting to land or depart, from the wrong runway or from a taxiway. Runway confusion is a subcategory of either a runway incursion or surface incident, and you may hear this kind of activity described as a “wrong surface event,” or WSE. These incidents have become a top priority for the FAA. Runway Excursion. You might think When questions arise about avia- operations and gets an invitation to of an “excursion” as something fun, tion safety, most people — including call ATC after parking the plane. But but a runway excursion is a trip to aviators — tend to focus on the actual it happens, and it happens too often. avoid — as you can probably guess, it flying. That’s understandable, because That’s why the FAA has a robust Run- describes veering off or overrunning we all know that if something goes way Safety Program, whose mission is the runway surface. wrong while aloft, it’s not possible to to decrease the number and severity Surface Incident. A surface incident simply pull over to the side of the road of surface-related events. That’s also is an unauthorized or unapproved to investigate. When trying to reas- why the team has chosen to focus this movement within the designated sure skittish passengers, pilots tend to issue of FAA Safety Briefing magazine movement area (excluding runway serve up the old saw about the drive to on this critically important aspect incursions), or an occurrence that (or from) the airport being the most of aviation safety. Even if you think actually or potentially affects safety of dangerous part of the trip. But what you’ve heard and taken all the surface flight in an area associated with the about the part of the trip to or from safety tips to heart, you can still learn operation of aircraft. Surface inci- the ramp to the runway? This portion from the material in this issue. dents can arise from a mix of other of a flying trip is too often overlooked, causes. For example, the overflight dismissed as being the “easiest” or What’s in a Name? incident involving Air Canada 759 at “safest” part of an air journey. You’ll hear a lot of terms related to the San Francisco airport a few years Not so fast. Statistics show that airport surface safety. To be sure we’re back was a surface incident attributed surface-related mistakes are far too all on the same page, here’s the official to runway confusion. common and, as accidents like the “what’s what.” Surface Event. This one describes an 1977 Tenerife crash involving two Runway Incursion. A runway incur- occurrence at an airport involving a fully loaded and fully fueled jumbo sion is any occurrence at an airport pedestrian, vehicle, or aircraft on the jets, the level of danger can be mon- involving the incorrect presence of defined airport movement area that umental. Even without bad weather an aircraft, vehicle, or person on the involves either a runway excursion, or (e.g., the thick fog that factored heav- protected area of a surface designated an incorrect presence, unauthorized ily into the Tenerife event), airports for aircraft landing and takeoff. For movement, or occurrence that affects can be immensely complicated and obvious reasons, runway incursions or could affect the safety of flight of even confusing to navigate. At smaller are the main source of surface risk in an aircraft. For example, an aircraft airports, complacency can create that the National Airspace System (NAS). taxis from the ramp non-movement “how-hard-can-it-be?” mindset that Examples include the following: (a) area into a taxiway (movement area) lures the unwary into mistakes (e.g., An aircraft fails to stop and crosses without a clearance. those arising from multi-tasking). the runway holding position markings With that in mind, you’re cleared to As far too many pilots can attest, without a clearance. (b) An aircraft proceed into the information-packed you never think you could be “that” takes off or lands on the correct (or pages ahead! pilot, the one who gums up ground incorrect) runway without a clearance. 2 FAA Safety Briefing GA NEWS AND CURRENT EVENTS ATIS AVIATION NEWS ROUNDUP The EAL will broadcast on the appropriate ATC frequency or common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) within 12 miles of the landing airport. Subsequent broadcasts at intervals repeat information and Photo courtesy ofAircraft Cirrus update time to landing. After landing, EAL broadcasts at 90-second intervals on tower/CTAF and 5 minutes on Guard as follows: “Disabled aircraft on Runway 00 at KXYZ airport.” New Safety Data Tool Available The new Dynamic Regulatory System Listen for Emergency Autoland (N1234), Emergency Autoland acti- (DRS) makes it easier to research avia- Broadcasts vated, standby for more information.” tion safety guidance material. DRS After the initial broadcast, there Three aircraft have been certified with combines more than 65 document will be a 25-second pause for air traf- Emergency Autoland (EAL) systems in types from more than a dozen differ- fic control (ATC) to move conflicting 2020: the Piper M600, the Daher TBM ent repositories into a single search- traffic.