Safety investigators want more technology to prevent near misses on runways

WASHINGTON – An air traffic controller’s error nearly led to a collision between two planes on a foggy runway in Austin, Texas, last year, the National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday.

Investigators also called for the use of key safety technologies and additional training that may have prevented the incident, as federal authorities grapple with a growing number of near-misses on runways across the country, including one last week at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

On the morning of February 4, 2023, thick fog and poor visibility prevailed at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport when an air traffic controller cleared two planes to use the runway simultaneously. A FedEx cargo plane was cleared to land, while a Southwest Airlines jet with 128 passengers and crew on board was also cleared to take off.

Investigators say the FedEx plane aborted its landing at the last moment when the first officer saw the left position light and the silhouette of the Southwest plane on the runway, and that the plane climbed back into the air while the Southwest jet continued its takeoff.

According to investigators, the two planes were 46 to 51 meters apart at the point where they came closest to each other.

“Without the heroic actions of the FedEx crew, this incident could have been catastrophic,” NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said during the board meeting.

Investigators say the air traffic controller in Austin failed to determine the exact position of the Southwest jet on the tarmac and mistakenly assumed the plane was ready for takeoff when he cleared the pilots to enter the runway.

“We had two planes within 200 feet of each other, and that shouldn’t be happening,” said board member Michael Graham.

“The system failed in this case,” Graham said. “Without the last-minute jumpstart by the FedEx crew, we might be having a different discussion today.”

The FedEx plane’s first officer, Robert Bradeen Jr., was in the audience Thursday and received a standing ovation.

The NTSB had previously told a Senate committee that a shortage of air traffic controllers was leading to fatigue and distraction, but investigators said Thursday that fatigue was not a factor in the Austin incident.

However, investigators criticized the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for not installing technology at Austin Airport to accurately determine the location of aircraft on the ground.

According to the NTSB, such technology might have prevented the incident. The air traffic controller told investigators he couldn’t see the plane from the tower and relied on the sound of the engine to tell when it was getting ready to take off.

The FAA recently announced that it would begin installing a surface detection system at some airports, including Austin, by the end of 2025. At least 35 major U.S. airports already have technology designed to prevent people from trespassing on runways, according to the FAA.

But the NTSB says the rollout is not happening fast enough. The investigators recommend that all major airports be equipped with a system that tracks the movements of aircraft, determines their distance from each other and gives air traffic controllers visual and acoustic cues about their ground movements.

The United States has seen an increasing number of runway near misses nationwide in recent years. According to FAA data, 23 of the most serious near misses occurred in 2023, compared to 16 in 2022.

Homendy said there have been at least seven such incidents so far in 2024 and that the NTSB is currently investigating several more.

“The sad truth is that just one is enough. One missed warning, one wrong response, even one missed opportunity to install life-saving technology can lead to tragedy,” Homendy said. “We are moving in the wrong direction.”

Copyright: NPR