Runway Incursion - A Typical Scenario When Instructions Are Not Heard Or Understood



Runway Incursions - A Typical Scenario at Busy Airports

Description
A Runway Incursion is defined as “Any occurrence at an aerodrome involving the incorrect presence of an aircraft vehicle or person on the protected area of a surface designated for the landing and take off of aircraft”. (ICAO Doc 4444 - PANS-ATM)
It should be noted that this 'incorrect presence' may be a consequence of a failure of a pilot to comply with a valid ATC clearance or their compliance with an inappropriate ATC clearance.

Effects

An increased risk of serious collision for aircraft on the ground. When collisions occur off the runway, the aircraft and/or vehicles involved are usually travelling relatively slowly: in contrast, when a collision occurs on the runway, at least one of the aircraft involved will often be travelling at considerable speed which increases the risk of significant aircraft damage and the severity of the consequences therefrom, including serious or fatal injury.

Most Common Types

• Departing aircraft runway entry contrary to ATC clearance
• Aircraft runway crossing after landing contrary to ATC clearance
• Issued ATC taxi clearance in conflict with another ATC clearance
• ATC runway occupancy clearance in error or misjudged
• Towed aircraft runway crossing contrary to ATC clearance

Typical Scenarios

• ATCO-induced situation. With Low Visibility Procedures in force because of fog, a controller gives a clearance to an aircraft without subsequently checking for a correct read-back from the flight crew who have misunderstood the instructions. Without checking the location of the first aircraft, which has entered the active runway contrary to clearance and at an intermediate point, the controller clears a second aircraft for a full-length take-off. 
• Flight Crew-induced situation. An aircraft lands at an unfamiliar airport and the flight crew becomes disorientated as they exit the runway. Despite this, they acknowledge taxi instructions and without being confident of their position or the taxi route given, continue taxing and inadvertently enter an active runway.
• Driver-related situation. Procedures at an airport allow the driver of a contractor's vehicle to operate airside without an escort (or the prior receipt of appropriate training and formal approval dependent upon satisfactory completion thereof). A driver of such a vehicle enters an active runway without first obtaining ATC clearance.

Contributory Factors

• Weather. Low visibility may increase the chance of flight crew becoming disorientated and unsure of their position whilst taxying. Low visibility is also likely to restrict a controller’s ability to identify and follow aircraft visually so that cross-checking a reported aircraft position with its actual location may become impossible unless Surface Movement Radar is available.
• Aerodrome design. If, as a consequence of aerodrome design, aircraft have to cross active runways to move between their take off or landing runway and their parking position, the likelihood of runway incursions is increased. This risk may be reduced if the LRST identifies the Runway Hotspots thereby created and effective risk mitigation is developed and applied. Operation with intersecting active runways is also likely to require careful consideration to ensure that the inherently increased risk of conflict is adequately managed.
• Multiple Simultaneous Line-ups. Use of Multiple Line-ups for a series of aircraft departures from the same runway from different entry positions may increase the potential for runway collision.
• Conditional Clearances If conditional clearances are used, the risk consequent upon any error in their issue or actions may be increased because of errors in aircraft identification by adjacent aircraft. The chances of such errors are increased if aircraft livery does not readily correspond to the RTF callsign being used; this is sometimes the result of airline alliance livery policies or the ad hoc operational substitution of leased-in aircraft.
• Simultaneous Use of Intersecting Runways. Unless ATM SOPs are carefully formulated and rigorously applied, use of intersecting runways can significantly raise the risk of both runway incursions and Loss of Separation between aircraft near the ground and aircraft on the ground. At some airports where intersecting runways are used, especially in the USA, Land and Hold Short Operations are part of normal procedures. These are considered by some non-US aircraft operators to introduce an unacceptable level of additional risk; consequently, their flight crews are instructed to decline offers of such clearances.
• Late Issue of or late changes to Departure Clearances. This may lead to a temporary lapse in flight crew situational awareness if an attempt is then be made to set up or modify the FMS for departure whilst it is taxiing.
• Phraseology Use of Non-Standard Phraseology or non-adherence to Standard Phraseology can lead to clearance confusion and misunderstanding between flight crew and controllers. In particular the standard expression "Taxi into position and hold" used in the USA in place of the ICAO Phrase "Line up and wait" is worthy of note.
• Concurrent Use of More than One Language for ATC communications. At some international airports, locally-based users are permitted to communicate in the local language whereas foreign aircraft do so in English. Depending on the nature of the local language and the language skills of the visiting flight crew, this may have the effect of significantly reducing their awareness of the relative position of other traffic.
• English Language Competence Despite the introduction by ICAO of a system of validating competence in Aviation English, instances of pilots whose native language is not English misunderstanding taxi clearances still occur.
• Workload.
  • Pilot Workload. Shortly after landing, flight crew have to orientate themselves quickly in respect of their actual position in relation to taxiways and the airport layout. After clearing the landing runway, they also have to reconfigure aircraft systems in accordance with the After Landing Checks and may receive detailed taxi instructions from ATC. Similar levels of workload may occur prior to departure while the flight crew are concurrently carrying out tasks including configuring the aircraft systems ready for take-off, briefing crew and passengers, receiving amended departure clearance instructions from ATC, checking unfamiliar departure procedures, etc. Under these circumstances of high workload, a temporary loss of situational awareness or communications confusion are more likely to occur.
  • Controller Workload.. Controllers handling multiple aircraft movements and handovers have relatively little time available for monitoring individual aircraft to confirm that they are taxiing in accordance with their clearances.
• Distraction. This is the immediate cause of many incursions, although the context in which it occurs is often of more direct relevance to effective risk mitigation

Defences

Available defences relate to both the occurrence of runway incursions and the danger thereby created. The role of Safety Nets as a last line of defence against error is increasingly valuable at busy airports with complex movement areas. Not in any order of significance these defences include:

• Maintenance of situation awareness by flight crew and others using the manoeuvring area, specifically in respect of their own location in relation to active runways, and that of other aircraft and vehicles relative to active runways.
• Maintenance of situation awareness by TWR(TOWER) and GND(GROUND) ATCOs (Air Traffic Control Officers) in respect of aircraft and vehicle disposition and movements near to active runways
• Flight Crew use of the TCAS (Traffic Collision Avoidance System) display to provide situational awareness of other aircraft both in the air and on the ground.
• Effective flight crew use of appropriate features of RAAS if installed
• Where installed, effective procedures for the use of Enhanced Vision Systems (EVS) for improved awareness of runway occupancy
• Use of ICAO Standard Phraseology at all times to minimise any risk of clearance confusion.
• Presence of ICAO standard Runway Markings and Taxiway Surface Markings and Signs
• Presence of ICAO standard Runway Lighting and Taxiway Lighting including the installation of Runway Status Lights (RWSL) and Runway Holding Point Lighting.
• Controllers working traffic where the flight crew are not native speakers of English should pay particular attention to their speech clarity, use only standard phraseology and make a particular effort to closely monitor readbacks of taxi clearances.

Source : SKYbrary

Improving African Aviation Safety in 100th Year of Commercial Aviation

Aviation in Africa looks bright And the African youth can make it Happen  

2014 marks 100 years of commercial air travel. On January 1, 1913, a single passenger crossed Tampa Bay in the United States on the world’s first regular scheduled flight service. Since that landmark, air transport has grown from one passenger on one route to 3.3 billion passengers on more than 40,000 routes. Air connectivity has transformed people’s lives, widening their horizons, culturally,socially and economically.

This year the African Union marks its 50th year and air transport has never been more relevant to the organization’s aim to promote African integration. For a vast continent with challenging natural barriers to ground transportation, aviation is crucial for connectivity and development. Moreover, aviation supports 6.7 million jobs on the continent, with a significant proportion of those in high-tech and advanced skills work.

In monetary terms, the industry stimulates a $67.8 billion contribution to Africa’s GDP. Aviation facilitates tourism and business services, while air freight is crucial for the success of African organic produce, and supporting a growing manufacturing base.

African governments have much to gain from pursuing growth and connectivity. Improved safety is absolutely central to that goal. Safety is clearly uppermost in our minds at the moment. Our thoughts are with the families and friends of all on board flight MH370.

This tragedy reminds us that safety is a constant challenge everywhere. And every accident and every fatality in aviation re-dedicates the entire industry to making flying even safer.

One way we do this is to investigate the accident thoroughly and from the conclusions drawn, apply any recommendations. In parallel, we must ensure that the global standards and best practices which already exist are applied and implemented.

This is a challenge for Africa. As of the end of 2013, only 11 African states had achieved 60% implementation of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) safety-related standards and recommended practices. That is why aviation stakeholders including IATA, ICAO and others have united behind the Africa Strategic Improvement Action Plan aimed at addressing safety deficiencies and strengthening regulatory oversight capabilities. This action plan was endorsed by States of the African Union in the Abuja Declaration of 2012.

The Abuja Declaration has a target to bring the African accident rate in line with the global average by 2015, and the action plan commits States to:

Ø Adopt and implement an effective and transparent regulatory oversight system. This includes mandating the implementation of the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) to all airlines

Ø Implement runway safety measure

Ø Training on preventing loss of control

Ø Implement flight data analysis (FDA)

Ø Implement Safety Management Systems (SMS)

Ø Operation Health and Safety Management System (OHSAS)

Evidence already shows that applying global standards can make a difference in African aviation. There has been progress in recent years. The Western-built jet hull loss rate improved 55.4% between 2012 and 2013, while the region’s accident rate for all aircraft types improved nearly 50% (7.45 accidents per million flights from 14.80 in 2012).But despite this, it remains a fact that on average in 2013, there was one accident for every 493,000 flights on Western-built jets in Africa. That was almost five times the global average. And we cannot take the recent improvement trend for granted.

To make these gains a sustainable foundation on which to achieve world-class safety levels is going to require the continued determination and commitment of all stakeholders, including governments. Global standards are the key. Governments must effectively regulate them. And airlines need to operate using them.

An example of a global standard which airlines can implement is the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA). IOSA is a requirement for all IATA member airlines, but it is an open program, not an exclusive club. Of the 390 airlines on the IOSA registry at the end of 2013 about a third are not IATA members, and together their safety performance was more than twice as good as those carriers not on the registry.

African airlines on the IOSA registry are performing almost seven times better than non-IOSA operators in the region, and the International Airline Training Fund commenced a program to assist ten airlines who wished to prepare for an IOSA inspection. Of these, three are now on the IOSA registry and a fourth is expected shortly.

This year, we will extend this Implementation Training Initiative to a further 10 eligible airlines in Africa. And we are also beta testing a Basic Safety Audit Program. This is not an IOSA-light, but it can be used by airlines whose nature or scale of operations is outside of the IOSA scope.

Over the years there have been many initiatives to improve African safety. While progress has been made, the problem has not been solved. This time could be different. The eyes of the world are on the continent’s economic expansion. It is a great opportunity to co-opt that into support—technical and financial—for connectivity that underpins economic ties.

" But that will only happen if there is a solid commitment on the part of African governments at the highest levels. Everyone knows what needs to be done. Now we need tangible signs from African governments for a strong and comprehensive follow-up program. Besides the aviation professional and enthusiastic African youth can be of immense help ". As I foresee and believe in the African youth and their perseverance to get Africa reach the highest category in Aviation Safety.

The aviation industry is determined and eager to work with all governments and stakeholders in Africa to deliver the highest safety standards. 100 years after the first passenger flight, African aviation stands poised for an amazing decade of growth and opportunity – let us be sure this chance is not missed.

Source - IATA