Safety
FAA urged more actively to curb runway incursions
Although the media and Congress continue to wring their collective hands over the rising number of reported runway incursions, the FAA is claiming that the

Although the media and Congress continue to wring their collective hands over the rising number of reported runway incursions, the FAA is claiming that the severity of these incursions has remained relatively low and stable over the past four years.

The question remains, however, is if that means the glass is half empty or half full. Of the 1,359 runway incursions recorded at towered airports from 1997 to 2000, 259 required either “extreme action” to narrowly avoid a collision or posed a “significant potential” for a collision. That equates to more than one “high risk” incursion event per week.