LAX Leads U.S. in Close Calls
Los Angeles International Airport led the nation again in 1999 in the number of near collisions involving aircraft on its runways, and controllers said Thursday that understaffing and heavy workloads are contributing to the safety problem.
Reducing close calls on runways across the country has been a major priority for the Federal Aviation Administration for several years, but so far its efforts have not had much impact.
There were 322 incidents at the nation’s airports last year--only three fewer than in 1998--in which aircraft came too close to other planes, vehicles or objects on runways, reducing the margin of safety or creating a collision hazard.
Ten of those incidents--called “runway incursions” in aviation jargon--occurred at LAX, according to the Transportation Department inspector general’s office. John Wayne Airport in Orange County was second, with nine incidents.
There were 778,275 takeoffs and landings at L.A. International last year, but the FAA traditionally has considered four or more runway incidents at any airport an indication of problems. Agency officials said they believe efforts to tackle the problem at LAX are already starting to improve safety.
Michael Foote, president of the LAX chapter of the National Air Traffic Controllers Assn., said Thursday that the Los Angeles tower is authorized to have 48 controllers but now employs only 34 fully certified controllers and four trainees.
“Controllers are forced to work longer hours on position than is prudent,” the union said in a statement. Foote noted that a majority of the runway incidents blamed on LAX controllers happen in the fourth or fifth day of a five-day duty tour, when fatigue may be more of a factor.
The union also said that arriving aircraft need to be more evenly scheduled so that controllers are not overwhelmed during peak periods.
FAA officials in Washington said they are taking steps to increase the number of controllers at LAX and would review the union’s other recommendations. They stressed that they believe the airport is making progress. In 1998, the number of runway incidents at the airport was even higher, at 13.
“I’m not going to put a smiley face on any runway incursion, but they reduced the number in 1999,” said John Mayrhofer, director of FAA’s runway safety program. “It’s pretty clear that their efforts have begun to pay some dividends but more has to be done.”
Los Angeles International is an especially sensitive airport when it comes to runway incidents. In 1991, a USAir jetliner landing there collided with a smaller commuter plane in a fiery explosion that killed 34 people. That tragedy was blamed on a controller who mistakenly positioned the commuter plane on the same runway where she had just cleared the big jet to land.
More recent efforts to prevent runway incidents at the airport have included enhanced signs and lighting and attempts to improve communication among controllers and pilots. Mayrhofer said that changes in landing and takeoff patterns may also be considered.
John Wayne Airport will be visited by a special FAA team this summer to analyze the problem there and seek solutions.
Spokesman William Shumann said the FAA will move six more controllers to Los Angeles International by January and is advertising internally for an additional 10 to join them.
The issue of the schedule of landings and takeoffs is more difficult, Shumann said. “This happens at any busy air traffic facility,” he said. “We staff for it. We know when it happens. It’s safe.”
Kevin Dorsey, manager of aviation audits in the inspector general’s office, said in a recent interview that managers, controllers and pilots at L.A. International appear to be making a serious effort to reduce runway incidents.
“I think they have been active in trying to address the problem. It’s just that there isn’t a silver bullet or one solution,” Dorsey said. “You have to look at technology. You have to look at airport improvements. You have to look at procedures. You have to look at education and training.”
According to pilots and controllers, many of the problems at Los Angeles International involve two parallel runways on the south side of the airport. Arriving flights usually land on the outer runway. To reach the terminal and drop off passengers, arriving pilots have to use taxiways that cross the inner runway used by aircraft taking off. On occasion, arriving pilots do not stop in time when they reach the runway intersection.
That is what happened on the night of Nov. 22 last year. According to the National Transportation Safety Board, an Aeromexico jet had landed on the outer runway and was taxiing to the terminal. At the same time, a United Airlines Boeing 757 was preparing to take off on the inner runway.
The Aeromexico crew apparently misunderstood controller instructions to stop at the intersection. As the 757 hurtled down the runway, the Aeromexico jet started across. The United pilot quickly got into the air, clearing the Aeromexico jet by about 100 feet. Among the passengers on the United flight were Bob Dole, the 1996 Republican presidential nominee, and his wife, Elizabeth Hanford Dole, who was a candidate for the Republican nomination this year.
The NTSB is continuing to investigate the incident. No one aboard either plane was hurt.
“It’s a complicated problem,” said Todd Thornton, a Boeing 737 captain who has been based at L.A. International for 10 years. “One day the incursion may be caused by a plane that’s going too fast, the next day it could be a language problem between a pilot and a controller.”
The situation at John Wayne Airport is different. Records show that most of the runway incidents there involve small private planes, sometimes flown by relatively inexperienced pilots. Those pilots can be more likely to become disoriented on a runway or misinterpret instructions.
John Wayne has two parallel runways, a long one used by commercial flights and a shorter one used by small planes. Small and big planes have to cross one another’s runways to get to terminals.
In an incident last Sept. 16, FAA records show that a Piper Cherokee crossed the long runway without clearance as a Southwest Airlines jet bound for Oakland was beginning its departure roll. It was daylight and visibility was not a factor.
The Southwest pilot saw the other plane and aborted the takeoff. Southwest’s chief pilot, Ken Gile, who reviewed reports on the incident, said the Southwest jet was still moving slowly and there was no danger of a collision.
“It was more of a nuisance,” Gile said. The planes came within 200 feet of each other, according to FAA records.
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Close Calls on the Rise
Runway incursions at U.S. airports have increased more than 70% in the last six years, from 188 close calls in 1993 to 322 in 1999--10 of which occurred at LAX. Incursions by year:
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1999: 322
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Source: National Transportation Safety Board
