House Panel Focuses Again on Runway Incursions

By Paul Lowe

September 30, 2008
Safety, Government

A near runway collision between a United Airlines regional jet and a Cessna 172 at Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE) in Allentown, Pa., on September 19 underscored testimony by a top government official on Friday that “the risk of runway incursions is still high. Gerald Dillingham, director of physical infrastructure issues for the Government Accountability Office, told the House aviation subcommittee that the primary cause of incursions is human-factors issues, which was the case at ABE.

Two trainees were in the tower cab alone when one of them cleared United Flight 7138 to take off while the Cessna was still on the runway. The crew of Flight 7138 estimated their CRJ700 missed colliding with the just-landed Cessna by about 10 feet as they aborted the takeoff at about 120 knots and “swerved” around it.

Despite the rapid deceleration, there were no reported injuries to the 60 people aboard the jet. NTSB acting chairman Mark Rosenker told AIN that an investigation of the incident will take about a month.

Back

Gates ready to help with safety issues November 17, 2008 It is an old but still valid saying that “safety is no accident,” although to Gates Aviation Consulting (Stand No. 227) the subject is rather... [more]
Elite Jets First in Region To Gain IBAC OK November 17, 2008 Dubai-base Elite Jets has become the first company in the Middle East to obtain the coveted IS-BAO certification from the International Business... [more]
Tempus in-flight medical kit upgrade with video capability November 16, 2008 RDT (Stand No. 542) has introduced the new Tempus IC version of its in-flight medical emergency response system. The new model is significantly... [more]
NTSB Meeting To Address Helo EMS Safety November 11, 2008 Due to a high number of fatal aeromedical accidents over the past year, the NTSB yesterday announced it will hold a public hearing on the safety... [more]
Election Results Shuffle General Aviation’s Fortunes November 06, 2008 Congressional aviation committee and subcommittee leaders from both sides of the political aisle held onto their seats Tuesday, but some... [more]