Runway Incursion at JFK

Message
Author
PHXPhlyer
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 9802
Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2018 2:56 pm
Location: PHX
Gender:
Age: 70

Re: Runway Incursion at JFK

#61 Post by PHXPhlyer »

NTSB subpoenas American Airlines flight crew in JFK runway incursion

https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/10/business ... index.html

The National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating a near miss incident on the JFK runway last month, has issued a subpoena for the testimony of the American Airlines pilots involved.

“American Airlines cleared the flight crew’s schedule to ensure their availability; however, the flight crew refused to be interviewed on the basis that their statements would be audio recorded for transcription,” the NTSB preliminary report says. “As a result of the flight crew’s repeated unwillingness to proceed with a recorded interview, subpoenas for their testimony have been issued.”

The NTSB report says the American Airlines 777 crossed an active runway without clearance from air traffic control, causing a Delta 737 to abort its takeoff.

The report says the two aircraft came within 1,400 feet of each other.

Following the report, the NTSB issued a statement saying investigators “frequently use recording devices in interviews, particularly with those who had roles in operating the equipment involved in the accident or incident.”

The agency says it attempted to interview the American crew on three separate occasions and issued a subpoena Friday to the three crew members involved in the incident. They have seven days to respond, the NTSB says.

The statement notes that the airline itself has cooperated with the investigation.

Investigators have accepted written statements from the Delta crew and determined that they contain “sufficient information.”

As CNN has previously reported, the American Airlines flight continued on to London’s Heathrow airport. The flight voice recorders on both aircraft were overwritten, meaning investigators can’t hear what was said in the cockpit at the time of the incident.

The NTSB says the American crew, through their union, the Allied Pilots Association, would not consent to the interview.

“NTSB has determined that this investigation requires that the flight crew interviews be audio recorded and transcribed by a court reporter to ensure the highest degree of accuracy, completeness, and efficiency,” the report says.

The APA said in a statement that historically these interviews have not been recorded.

“We join in the goal of creating an accurate record of all interviews conducted in the course of an investigation,” the statement said. “However, we firmly believe the introduction of electronic recording devices into witness interviews is more likely to hinder the investigation process than it is to improve it. Not only may the recording of interviews lead to less candid responses from those witnesses who may choose to proceed under such requirements, but the existence and potential availability of interview recordings upon conclusion of an investigation will tend to lead many otherwise willing crew members to elect not to participate in interviews at all. Either outcome would not serve to advance the goal of conducting effective investigations in order to promote aviation safety.”

The union says the interviews should be “fact-finding” and not adversarial.

“We are confident that an acceptable solution to this issue exists that would satisfy the needs and concerns of all parties involved in these investigatory interviews,” the union wrote.

PP
PHXPhlyer
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 9802
Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2018 2:56 pm
Location: PHX
Gender:
Age: 70

Re: Runway Incursion at Austin

#62 Post by PHXPhlyer »

NTSB: FedEx plane was only 150 feet off ground when disaster was averted

https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/02/business ... index.html

A FedEx plane was only about 150 feet off the ground when its pilots realized a Southwest jet was in the process of taking off on the same runway, and aborted its landing to avoid a potentially catastrophic fatal accident last month, federal safety investigators reported Thursday.

The report was from the National Transportation Safety Board, which looks into crashes and near crashes in the transportation industry. As is typical of a preliminary report such as this, the report did not assess any fault for the near miss.

The incident occurred early on February 4 at the international airport in Austin, Texas. CNN has previously reported the two planes came within 100 feet of one another, based on data from FlightRadar24. The NTSB’s initial findings confirmed earlier reports that it was the FedEx pilot, not air traffic controllers, who detected the problem and told the Southwest plane to abort its takeoff.

NTSB chairwoman Jennifer Homendy previously told CNN she believes the two planes came within 100 feet or less. Thursday’s report said the NTSB is still analyzing data from the cockpit recorders and other information and has not determined their closest proximity.

“That is really close, far too close,” Homendy told CNN’s Pete Muntean in an interview ahead of Thursday’s report. “It’s a big concern for us.”

The report said the Southwest plane was racing down the runway, picking up speed to take off, when the FedEx pilot warning came. The Southwest plane did take off, and veered sharply to the right as it became airborne. The FedEx plane veered to the left as it aborted its landing to avoid a possible collision.

The NTSB said it is still analyzing flight data and other information and has not determined the closest proximity between the planes.

There were 128 passengers and crew aboard the Southwest flight, and three crew members aboard the FedEx flight.

This is one of five near misses involving US commercial passenger aircraft in the last few months. There were no reports of injuries in any of the incidents.

PP
PHXPhlyer
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 9802
Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2018 2:56 pm
Location: PHX
Gender:
Age: 70

Re: Runway Incursion at JFK

#63 Post by PHXPhlyer »

Distraction and visibility played a part in near-collision between American and Delta flight at JFK airport, docs show

https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/29/us/jfk-a ... index.html


The pilots of an American Airlines flight were distracted by paperwork when they erroneously taxied into the path of a departing Delta flight, setting off alarms in the control tower at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and prompting an urgent plea to “cancel takeoff clearance” from the air traffic controller.

“My hands are shaking, I’m in shock, like— what the f***, what just happened,” the controller credited with preventing a catastrophic collision told investigators after the incident.

The gripping new details of the close call the night of January 13, 2023 are contained in National Transportation Safety Board documents released Monday.

The case was the first in a series of serious near-collisions involving commercial and noncommercial flights on or near the runways of major US airports. In 2023, the NTSB started investigations of more than seven such cases, known formally as runway incursions. In the JFK incident, the NTSB says the two planes came within 1,400 feet of colliding.

In the cockpit of the American Airlines Boeing 777 — carrying 149 people bound for London — the crew reported being inundated with weather bulletins and paperwork issues, according to the just-released NTSB documents. There was a third pilot in the cockpit who was helping, so the captain decided against parking the aircraft while that last-minute work was underway.

The seasoned captain — with more than 20,000 hours of flight experience — told investigators that air traffic controllers revised their instructions and ordered the plane to depart from a different runway. But while taxing, he “started thinking about my original” instructions and mistakenly taxied the plane across JFK’s runway 4 Left.

He insisted to investigators he turned on extra lighting around the aircraft before entering the runway, something he typically did in dark conditions, a transcript of his interview shows.

The crew of the Delta Air Lines Boeing 737 — preparing to depart with 159 people onboard — did not even see the larger American plane crossing in front of its path. But the captain told investigators he heard the urgent instruction from air traffic controllers to abort the takeoff run.

“Due to the extreme darkness of the evening, it was not until we began decelerating that I saw the American Airlines 777 crossing the runway in front of us,” the Delta captain wrote in a statement.

When the American captain parked the plane on the other side of the runway and talked with air traffic controllers, he didn’t realize how close he had come to disaster.

“I still thought I was in the right, that somehow, you know, somebody else messed up,” the captain told NTSB investigators in a transcribed interview. “From where we were sitting looking back, it didn’t look like we were close to anybody at all. So I didn’t know there was anybody taking off on that runway.”

The NTSB interviewed four air traffic controllers in the tower cab the night of the incident. As automated collision warning alarms sounded in the tower, the tower supervisor shouted to the controller making radio transmissions to tell the Delta flight to “cancel takeoff clearance,” one controller told investigators.

“We had a really good team upstairs that night,” said the controller credited with making the fateful abort transmission, “a really good team.”

The crew of the American Airlines flight told investigators in separate interviews that lights warning them against crossing the runway did not turn on until after they entered the runway. CNN reported soon after the incident that airport employees went out to check the lights immediately after the incident and found them in working order.

When the lights turned on red, “we realized something wasn’t right,” the American flight’s first officer said in an interview.

The first officer told investigators while the captain taxied, she was busy handling an unusually large number of weather-related messages from company dispatchers, as well as a new procedure that required she make an announcement to passengers before takeoff.

“It was very unusual,” she said of the heavy volume of weather messages. “I had never seen that before.”

PP
PHXPhlyer
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 9802
Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2018 2:56 pm
Location: PHX
Gender:
Age: 70

Another Close Call

#64 Post by PHXPhlyer »

An arriving plane and a departing one tried to use the same runway, spurring an investigation, FAA says

https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/09/us/syrac ... index.html

The Federal Aviation Administration says it is investigating an incident in which a commercial flight aborted a landing as another plane apparently was taking off from the runway the first plane intended to use this week in upstate New York.

The immediate aftermath of Monday’s incident at New York’s Syracuse Hancock International Airport was captured on North Syracuse police dashboard camera video. The video shows the two airplanes appearing to pass close to each other in the sky; it’s not clear how close the planes were.

The incident happened around 11:50 a.m. when “an air traffic controller instructed PSA Airlines 5511 to go around at Syracuse Hancock International Airport to keep it separated from an aircraft that was departing on the same runway,” a FAA spokesperson said in a release.

Preliminary data from FlightRadar24 shows that the PSA flight, which was coming from Washington, and Endeavor Air 5421, which was heading to New York, were as close as 625 feet from each other vertically as their courses began to converge.

So far, the FAA has not classified the incident as a near collision.

PP
User avatar
llondel
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 6701
Joined: Wed Oct 03, 2018 3:17 am
Location: San Jose

Re: Another Close Call

#65 Post by llondel »

PHXPhlyer
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 9802
Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2018 2:56 pm
Location: PHX
Gender:
Age: 70

Alaska Aborts T/O After Southwest Cleared to Cross Same Runway

#66 Post by PHXPhlyer »

Alaska Airlines flight aborts takeoff after Southwest plane cleared to cross same runway
The pilots in control of the Alaska Airlines plane had to break so hard and fast that the tires on the aircraft blew out, the airline said.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/al ... rcna170956

An Alaska Airlines plane was forced to abort takeoff at the Nashville International Airport after a Southwest flight was cleared to cross from the same runway, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Alaska Airlines flight 369 was headed to Seattle on Thursday morning and had received clearance to take off from air traffic control, the airline said in a statement, when Southwest flight 2029 was cleared to cross the end of the same runway, the FAA said.

The Alaska Airlines pilots had to break so hard and fast that the tires on their plane blew out, the airline said.

The crew was able to get the plane off the runway and close to the terminal, but the tires deflated "due to heat buildup from the rapid stop on the runway, as designed," according to Alaska Airlines.

All 176 passengers on board safely deplaned to the terminal, the airline said. It said it sent another plane to Nashville to take those passengers to Seattle on Thursday night.

Six crew members were also on board, Alaska Airlines said, and maintenance technicians in Nashville were inspecting the aircraft.

"We're grateful for the expertise of our pilots who immediately applied the brakes to prevent the incident from escalating," Alaska Airline said. "We're deeply sorry for the concerning experience this created for our guests and crew members."

No one was injured, the airline said.

"Our pilots train for these situations, and they handled the situation expertly," Alaska Airlines said.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the incident.

Southwest said it is in contact with the FAA and the NTSB and will "participate in the investigation."

"Nothing is more important to Southwest than the Safety of our Customers and Employees," Southwest said in a statement.

PP
reddo
Capt
Capt
Posts: 993
Joined: Mon Aug 24, 2015 10:27 pm
Location:

Re: Alaska Aborts T/O After Southwest Cleared to Cross Same Runway

#67 Post by reddo »

There seems to be more of these incidents happening in the US over the last couple of years. I don't know if it's the speech rate or something more systemic re the ATC Tower/Ground set up.
PHXPhlyer
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 9802
Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2018 2:56 pm
Location: PHX
Gender:
Age: 70

Re: Alaska Aborts T/O After Southwest Cleared to Cross Same Runway

#68 Post by PHXPhlyer »

Partly due to staffing issues, I think.
Been gone for almost 5 years but it seemed like at all but the largest airports positions would be combined, ie. Ground and Clearance Delivery, or Local and Ground.

PP
User avatar
llondel
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 6701
Joined: Wed Oct 03, 2018 3:17 am
Location: San Jose

Re: Alaska Aborts T/O After Southwest Cleared to Cross Same Runway

#69 Post by llondel »

So was it that the take off was cleared by one ATC and the runway crossing by another? Possibly even on different frequencies? Or was it one person suffering overwork? It's almost the case that they need a big red light in the tower and when a take-off clearance is given, someone hits a button and the red light comes on, so everyone knows it's about to happen. Not sure how best to turn it off again at the end though, I assume there's probably one of the ground movement systems that detects when an aircraft wheels come off the ground that could be used. Of course, you also need a similar system for landing clearances, although that's complicated by the fact that there is time to cross the active runway while an aircraft is on approach.
PHXPhlyer
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 9802
Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2018 2:56 pm
Location: PHX
Gender:
Age: 70

Re: Alaska Aborts T/O After Southwest Cleared to Cross Same Runway

#70 Post by PHXPhlyer »

Runway Stop Bars

https://skybrary.aero/sites/default/fil ... f/1859.pdf

From the AIM: FAA Airman's Information Manual

https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/publica ... ion_1.html

Runway Status Light (RWSL) System
Introduction. RWSL is a fully automated system that provides runway status information to pilots and surface vehicle operators to clearly indicate when it is unsafe to enter, cross, takeoff from, or land on a runway. The RWSL system processes information from surveillance systems and activates Runway Entrance Lights (REL) and Takeoff Hold Lights (THL), in accordance with the position and velocity of the detected surface traffic and approach traffic. REL and THL are in-pavement light fixtures that are directly visible to pilots and surface vehicle operators. RWSL is an independent safety enhancement that does not substitute for or convey an ATC clearance. Clearance to enter, cross, takeoff from, land on, or operate on a runway must still be received from ATC. Although ATC has limited control over the system, personnel do not directly use and may not be able to view light fixture activations and deactivations during the conduct of daily ATC operations.
Runway Entrance Lights (REL): The REL system is composed of flush mounted, in-pavement, unidirectional light fixtures that are parallel to and focused along the taxiway centerline and directed toward the pilot at the hold line. An array of REL lights include the first light at the hold line followed by a series of evenly spaced lights to the runway edge; one additional light at the runway centerline is in line with the last two lights before the runway edge (see FIG 2-1-9 and FIG 2-1-10). When activated, the red lights indicate that there is high speed traffic on the runway or there is an aircraft on final approach within the activation area.
REL Operating Characteristics - Departing Aircraft: When a departing aircraft reaches a site adaptable speed of approximately 30 knots, all taxiway intersections with REL arrays along the runway ahead of the aircraft will illuminate (see FIG 2-1-9). As the aircraft approaches an REL equipped taxiway intersection, the lights at that intersection extinguish approximately 3 to 4 seconds before the aircraft reaches it. This allows controllers to apply “anticipated separation" to permit ATC to move traffic more expeditiously without compromising safety. After the aircraft is declared “airborne" by the system, all REL lights associated with this runway will extinguish.
REL Operating Characteristics - Arriving Aircraft: When an aircraft on final approach is approximately 1 mile from the runway threshold, all sets of taxiway REL light arrays that intersect the runway illuminate. The distance is adjustable and can be configured for specific operations at particular airports. Lights extinguish at each equipped taxiway intersection approximately 3 to 4 seconds before the aircraft reaches it to apply anticipated separation until the aircraft has slowed to approximately 80 knots (site adjustable parameter). Below 80 knots, all arrays that are not within 30 seconds of the aircraft's forward path are extinguished. Once the arriving aircraft slows to approximately 34 knots (site adjustable parameter), it is declared to be in a taxi state, and all lights extinguish.
What a pilot would observe: A pilot at or approaching the hold line to a runway will observe RELs illuminate and extinguish in reaction to an aircraft or vehicle operating on the runway, or an arriving aircraft operating less than 1 mile from the runway threshold.
When a pilot observes the red lights of the REL, that pilot will stop at the hold line or remain stopped. The pilot will then contact ATC for resolution if the clearance is in conflict with the lights. Should pilots note illuminated lights under circumstances when remaining clear of the runway is impractical for safety reasons (for example, aircraft is already on the runway), the crew should proceed according to their best judgment while understanding the illuminated lights indicate the runway is unsafe to enter or cross. Contact ATC at the earliest possible opportunity.
FIG 2-1-9

PP
PHXPhlyer
Chief Pilot
Chief Pilot
Posts: 9802
Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2018 2:56 pm
Location: PHX
Gender:
Age: 70

Re: Runway Incursion at Austin, Firsthand Account From FedEx Pilots

#71 Post by PHXPhlyer »

‘Go around. Go around. Go around’: Pilots who came within 150 feet of a crash share how they deftly averted disaster

https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/13/travel/f ... index.html

The weather was about as bad as it gets, in terms of dense fog. The pilots of a FedEx cargo plane couldn’t see the runway or the airfield at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. But they’re trained for such “Category III” approaches — an automated approach when pilots don’t need to see to land, as long as everything in the aircraft is functioning properly. And it was.

But human error in the air traffic control tower and a lack of critical safety technology brought the plane within about 150 feet (46 meters) of a Southwest Airlines plane carrying 128 people, according to a National Transportation Safety Board report about the February 4, 2023, incident.

“I saw the silhouette of the other airplane, which is when I called … ‘Go around. Go around. Go around,’ ” First Officer Robert Bradeen told CNN’s Pete Muntean, in the first TV interview about the incident.

“It was definitely a shocking moment. You don’t expect to see an airplane that, that close. And you hope never to see them that close,” Bradeen said.

Captain Hugo Carvajal started the go-around procedure and their aircraft climbed to safety.

“I knew it was pretty close because I knew Rob’s – just the inflection in his voice when he said, ‘go around,’ ” Carvajal told CNN. “And then the focus at that point is just getting away from the ground, getting away from the airplane.”

The Austin incident is now known as the closest near-collision during a time when they kept happening at airports coast to coast. The National Transportation Safety Board has investigated more than a dozen similar cases since the start of last year.

On Thursday, another near-miss was added to the list when an Alaska Airlines plane and a Southwest plane nearly collided in Nashville.

In some cases, hero pilots such as Bradeen and Carvajal have kept collision courses from turning deadly. On Thursday, the pair received their union’s Superior Airmanship Award for the teamwork and vigilance that prevented what would have been the worst air disaster in decades.

‘Very routine right up until the very end’
The pair put their quick response down to training and experience. Carvajal has been with FedEx for 22 years; Bradeen has been flying for the company for about five and a half years.

The flight was business as usual – until it wasn’t. The two briefed the approach before they got on the plane in Memphis and they briefed it in flight. And they’ve repeatedly trained for the Category III approach.

“It was very routine right up until the very end,” Bradeen said.

But about three miles out from landing, they grew uneasy when an air traffic controller cleared the Southwest flight to take off in front of them.

“We heard Southwest check in and then tower cleared them, which surprised us both. We kind of looked at each other and voiced a little skepticism about it. And Hugo asked me to confirm that we were still cleared to land, which I did,” said Bradeen.

The Southwest Boeing 737 was sitting in the center of the runway for 19 seconds, according to the NTSB report, as the FedEx Boeing 767 barreled toward it in the fog. The pilots’ awareness was heightened, but Bradeen said he didn’t realize a collision was imminent until about 100 or 150 feet away.

“I was looking outside because we were concerned. So I was glancing between inside monitoring systems and looking over the glare shield at the, trying to get sight of the runway and our touchdown zone. And I saw a position light in the silhouette of the Southwest airplane right over the glare shield with closure.”

And he called for the go around. Looking outside of the aircraft during such an approach isn’t typical, Bradeen said, but because he was uncertain about the location of the Southwest plane, he was glancing between the interior systems and the exterior.

“And luckily I was able to look out at the right time and see him.”

Luck, plus years of experience.

‘This could have been a tragedy’
“This could have been a tragedy. If there were not two well-trained and qualified pilots on the flight deck that day, we could certainly be telling a very different story right now,” said Captain Jason Ambrosi, president of the Air Line Pilots Association.

The NTSB issued seven recommendations in June based on the Austin incident, including installing technology at all commercial airports to detect movement of planes and vehicles on the ground. The FAA has said it would be installing a surface detection system at some airports by the end of 2025. Austin would be among those airports.

Carvajal said “getting the dollars to support that kind of equipment at every airfield” is important. He underlined that having two pilots in every cockpit is critical to safety.

“This incident could have been catastrophic. If not for the heroic actions of the FedEx crew,” said Jennifer Homendy, the NTSB chair, during a hearing this spring. She thanked the pilots for saving lives.

But do the pair see themselves as heroes?

“It depends on your perspective,” Bradeen said. “To us, we did our job. It’s what we’re trained to do.”

PP
Post Reply