Runway safety−related events represent a potentially significant risk at airports around the world, but not all of the events are easily detectable. While runway excursions and wrong-surface landings are hard to miss, runway incursions may go unnoticed if they do not result in a serious incident or an accident. Still, it’s important to track incursion events so authorities and operators can identify issues and potential hot spots, determine root causes and develop risk-mitigation strategies.
That’s where a robust reporting culture comes into play. To track runway incursions and accurately assess the risk, you must have a culture that encourages the reporting of these events without the fear of punishment. As Michael Watkins, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration’s senior air traffic representative–Asia Pacific, said earlier this year at the Foundation’s Singapore Aviation Safety Seminar, a blame culture encourages people to hide and ignore risks.
Developing a reporting…
