Runway Incursion Avoidance

A runway incursion is any occurrence at an airport involving an aircraft, vehicle, person, or object on the ground that creates a collision hazard or results in a loss of separation with an aircraft taking off, landing, or intending to land.

Proper planning can prevent runway incursions and the possibility of ground collisions.

There are about 3 runway incursions each day at towered airports in the United States, of which 65% are caused by pilots (according to the FAA).

Contributing Factors to Runway Incursions

There are three main contributing factors that lead to runway incursions:

Communications
Airport knowledge
Flight deck procedures for maintaining orientation

Common Deviations that Lead to Runway Incursions

- Crossing a runway hold marking without a clearance
- Taking off without a clearance
- Landing without a clearance

Causal Factors of Runway Incursions

The following are common causal factors that lead to runway incursions:

Failure to comply with ATC instructions
Lack of airport familiarity

Sterile Cockpit

During any critical phase of flight, it is imperative that pilots are not being distracted by nonessential activities or conversations.

Make sure to refrain from anything distracting during:

Taxi
Takeoff
Climbout
Approach
Landing

Taxiing Safely

See the link below for more information on taxiing safely:

Taxiing Safely: Towered and Uncontrolled Airports

Hold Short Instructions and Markings

Hold short lines are located before a runway and can be identified by double solid yellow lines followed by double dashed yellow lines.

Dash through the dash, stop at the solid

Never cross the hold short markings without a clearance to enter a runway.

If you are cleared to taxi on a route that would cross any runway, and you were not issued a clearance to cross, always assume that you cannot cross that runway without permission.

When doing a runup in front of the hold short markings, if a runup area is not available, make sure to keep your feet hard on the brakes, even if you have the parking break engaged.

Line Up and Wait (LUAW) Operations

A line up and wait clearance is a clearance to enter a runway and hold in position for takeoff.

It is NOT a takeoff clearance.

If you hear "traffic holding in position," it means that there is an aircraft currently holding on the runway waiting to takeoff.

If you do not receive a takeoff clearance after 90 seconds of getting a line up and wait instruction, contact ATC. Controllers are not perfect, and you need to make sure that they haven't forgotten you are waiting on an active runway.

ATC is required to inform you of landing traffic when issuing a clearance. It will sound something like this:

Skyhawk N1234, runway one eight, line up and wait, traffic a Cessna 210 on a six-mile final

Runway Shortened Operations

If a runway is shortened for some reason, it will be included in NOTAMs and the ATIS broadcast. These should always be checked before any flight.

When issuing a takeoff, LUAW, or landing clearance, ATC will indicate that not all of the runway is usable by saying "shortened."

If the runway is permanently shortened, ATC will use the "shortened" indicator until the chart supplement is updated. ATC clearances for takeoff and landing will also include the runway length available.

Runway Confusion

It may seem difficult to imagine landing on the incorrect runway or a taxiway, but there have been many cases of this happening.

Factors leading to runway confusion:

Airport complexity
Close proximity of runway thresholds
Parallel runways
Joint use of a runway as a taxiway

The risk of runway confusion can be minimized by proper preflight planning and briefing all takeoffs and landings.

Things to consider on takeoff:

Write down which runway you were assigned
Check before entering the runway that the signage indicates the correct runway and taxiway intersection
Be cautious of parallel runways and make sure you are approaching the correct one
When entering the runway, double check that the correct number is written down on the pavement
Make sure that your compass aligns with the runway heading

Things to consider on landing:

Runways at some airports can be used as taxiways
Make sure you write down you cleared runway assignment and double check it with your compass and with the writing on the runway
Be mindful that unique lighting, especially at night, can give a false indication of a runway. Make sure to be extra cautious

Exiting the Runway After Landing

Only turn off of a runway when you are at a safe speed. Once you have slowed down, exit the runway relatively briskly and make sure to be clear of the hold short markings.

NEVER exit a runway onto an intersecting runway without a clearance from ATC. If you are cleared to exit onto an intersecting runway, make sure you are clear of the active runway and then remain in position before getting taxi instructions.

Engineered Materials Arresting Systems

Engineered Materials Arresting Systems, or EMAS, are special materials that are designed to slow down an aircraft past the end of a runway.

These are common at airports that were built before the 1000 foot runway safety area was adopted.

Airport Markings

Runway Markings

Taxiway Markings

Hold Position Markings

Other Markings

Airport Signs

There are six different types of signs installed on airfields. Click the links below to explore each one:

Mandatory Instruction Signs

Location Signs

Direction Signs

Destination Signs

Information Signs

Runway Distance Remaining Signs

ILS Critical Area Purpose and Markings

ATC will protect the ILS critical areas when an arriving aircraft is inside the outer marker/final approach fix on an ILS approach and the ceiling is less than 800 feet or visibility is less than 2 miles.

Typically, you're not going to have to worry much about them, but make sure to always stay clear of the critical area when ATC tells you to hold short of it.

The signs and markings for the ILS critical area can be found above.

Taxiway Lighting

Airport Hot Spots

Hot spots are generally a complex or confusing taxiway or taxiway and runway intersection.

They are designated because of historical incidents or a potential risk of collision or runway incursion.

Hot spots will be displayed on FAA airport diagrams, and they should be looked into further by going to the chart supplement.

Additionally, information regarding the hotspot can be found on ForeFlight.

Night Operations

Pilots need to have extra vigilance at night, as it can be more difficult to maintain situational awareness and keep track of other aircraft and vehicles.

Tips for taxiing at night:

Make sure that the aircraft is visible by turning on lights
Remember that the strobe light can potentially harm the vision of other pilots in the area
Use dim or red lights and dim cockpit displays to maintain night vision

Tips for taking off/landing:

Always double check that your compass aligns with the runway heading
Make sure to pay attention to other traffic, especially at uncontrolled airports
Look closely for moving aircraft lights on the ground and near runways of intended use

Low Visibility Operations

If you find yourself in low visibility conditions, remember that you may not be visible to ATC

If at any point you become disoriented or confused about your position, NOTIFY ATC IMMEDIATELY

Beyond sterile cockpit, your entire focus should be on taxiing with no other activities allowed.