Surface Incident Mitigation Strategy for General Aviation Airports

1. Airport Surface Incident Mitigation Strategy

4. OBJECTIVE • ASIMS Goals • Background • Components • Stats • Common Factors • Prevention Strategies

5. GOALS • Reduce Surface Incidents at GA Airports • Assure improved knowledge and understanding • Achieve Support from Aviation Organizations

6. BACKGROUND • GA Runway Safety "Call to Action“ • FAASTeam Response ASIMS • GA Risk Mitigation Effort

7. COMPONENTS • Collaborate with Industry • Study Runway Incident Human Factors • Implement ‘Everything Inside the Fence’ • Propose Additions to the PTS • Develop New Products

8. Collaborate with FAA Lines of Business • CFI/DPE Initiative • Office of Runway Safety (National and Regional) • National and Local ATC personnel

9. HF Study Regarding Runway Safety • Identify typical runway incidents • Categorize human factors common to runway incidents • Incorporate thisinformation into product development

10. Promotional Campaign • Signage identification • Surface maps • Operational planning • Human Factors • Situational awareness

11. Additions to the PTS • Emphasize critical nature of ground operations • Incorporate ground operations as a primary phase of flight • Establish standards for ground operation performance

12. New Product Design • Design of new products for FY09 and beyond • DVD storyboards • Airport specific awareness graphics, posters, brochures

13. Is it about to happen?

14. Stats • 58% of all operations are GA • 65% of all pilot deviations are GA • 1 serious incursion every day • Most happen during the day in good vis • Pilot experience makes little difference

15. We are not the only profession with embarrassing moments

16. Some Errors • Entered runway after acknowledging hold short instructions • Taxied wrong route and entered runway • Crossed runway without clearance • Given position and hold instructions then departed without clearance • Landed and departed without comm or clearance • Given clearance to land on runway, landed on taxiway

19. Competition?

20. COMMON FACTORS Memory • 7 unrelated items • Stress can influence • We remember what we want to remember • Future tasks are hard to remember

21. COMMON FACTORS Attention • Focused attention allows us to filter out irrelevant info • Too much attention to one thing can lead to error • Brief the airport diagram • Remain alert even in familiar locations

22. COMMON FACTORS Communication • Account for most runway incursions • Failure to readback • Blocked or stepped on comm • Accepting clearance of another aircraft • Misunderstanding instructions

23. COMMON FACTORS Fatigue • Lack of sleep • Fatigue can lead to decreases in memory and attention • Caffeine may be helpful in the short term … • 20 minute power naps may help • Take frequent breaks

24. COMMON FACTORS Teamwork • Fail to coordinate/clarify • Don’t catch all readback errors • Forget • Recognize that it is a system problem not pilot, ATC • Human cannot be eliminated just managed

26. What can we do to mitigate the threat? Communications • Think and listen first • Think about what you will say • Who are you calling? • Who are you? • Where are you? • What do you want or intent to do? • Use standard phraseology

27. What can we do to mitigate the threat? Communications • Be concise and precise • ID and write down all comm freqs • Check CTAF non-towered, other airports using same freq • Listen to Approach Ctrl frequency • Understand ATC instructions? Confusing instructions?

28. What can we do to mitigate the threat? Communications Check with ATC if: • actual instruction are against expectations • waiting longer that 1-2 minutes • in a “position and hold” • the instructions don’t make sense • anytime you are unsure-never assume

29. What can we do to mitigate the threat? Communications • If in doubt ask, if unsure verify • Hold short instructions • Position and Hold instructions • Active runway crossings • Read back all instructions • Are you on the correct frequency?

30. What can we do to mitigate the threat? Communications • Two-way communication • Repeat heading, altitude, airspeed Beware of • Similar call signs • Similar frequencies • Parallel runways • Intersection vs full length clearances

31. What can we do to mitigate the threat? Airport Familiarity • Review and use airport diagrams • Plan taxi routes • Know where you are • Know where you are going • Know how to get there • Unfamiliar airport environment-ask for progressive taxi.

33. What can we do to mitigate the threat? Cockpit procedures • Clean the windscreen • Remove charts from the windscreen • Use current charts and AF/D • Install see through sun visors • Use all lights (landing lights on runway) • Position 3 feet left or right of centerline • Sterile cockpit from engine start to cruise altitude

34. What can we do to mitigate the threat? Cockpit procedures • Constantly scan outside the cockpit • Use all aircraft lights especially in low vis conditions • Beware of fatigue in low vis conditions • Assign tasks to other crew members and passengers • If lost contact ATC immediately

35. Teamwork We all need to get involved if we want to effectively mitigate the increasing number of runway incidents

36. Thank you for your attention