A performance-based method for improving safety during runway manoeuvers

Abstract

Over the last 50 years, runway manoeuvres have been strongly regulated with procedures being continuously improved to mitigate the risk of accident and to reduce it to an acceptably low level. However, in recent years, air travel has been predicted to increase dramatically over the next 15 years, resulting in a need to increase the safety levels in order to maintain a constant accident rate. As a result, several institutions such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have already embarked on programmes aimed at increasing safety. This paper addresses some of the major hazards associated with the take-off and landing phases of flight and proposes a performance-based method for mitigating these hazards. In commercial air transport, the runway manoeuvres of take-off and landing are generally considered to constitute the two most hazardous phases of flight. This is confirmed by the accident statistics, with approximately 12% of all accidents occurring during take-off and 52% occurring in the final approach and landing phases In these manoeuvres, the aircraft will be operating in close proximity to obstacles, traffic and, in the airborne phases, in close proximity to terrain. The risk of collision or serious accident is therefore accordingly high.