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A Guide to Runway Excursions: Types, Causes, and How to Prevent Them

by admin | Oct 22, 2022 | Airport Lighting

When a plane unexpectedly deviates from an airport’s runway, it’s often assumed to be involved in a runway excursion. This type of accident can be devastating – not only to the pilots and passengers of the plane – but also to the ground crew near the area where it occurred.

Although very few runway excursion accidents result in fatalities, they can still result in severe injury or death, especially at small airports with short runways. This guide looks into the types of runway excursions, their causes, and the preventive measures every airport should take to avoid them.

What Is a Runway Excursion?

• Runway Excursion Vs. Incursion

Overrun on Takeoff

Overrun on landing, why runway excursions happen, how to prevent runway excursions, global action plan for the prevention of runway excursions (gappre).

A runway excursion happens when an aircraft makes a wrong exit from the runway. This event occurs when an aircraft overruns or veers off in the runway surface during landing or takeoff. Several factors, such as poor runway surface conditions and unstable approaches, contribute to this error. 

Some 1,469 runway incursion accidents happened in US airports in 2021, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Most airport incursions happen in small airports. 

Runway Excursion vs. Incursion

A runway excursion adversely affects the overall safety of the airdrome as it risks collisions with an aircraft, personnel, or other objects. Several factors that cause this incident include mechanical issues, pilot error, and poor weather conditions. 

Meanwhile, a runway incursion happens at an airfield that involves an incorrectly placed aircraft, vehicle, or person on the runway’s designated landing and takeoff area. It is a surface incident caused by movements not approved on the runway that can affect flight safety. 

Both runway incursion and runway excursion can hamper the operations of an airport.

Types of Runway Excursions

This excursion happens when the aircraft departs on the edges of a taxiway or runway. When the aircraft is taking off or landing moves to the side of the designated runway. This incident can result in damage to the aircraft and airfield installations. In worst cases, it can cause injury or even death to persons on board the aircraft. 

A departing aircraft fails to become airborne or take off successfully before reaching the designated end of the runway. According to the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA), overrun on takeoff occurs 18% of the time (compared to 82% during landing).

A landing aircraft that fails to stop before the end of the designated runway is reached. The outcome of such an incident can be pretty serious if there is not enough safety area that could reduce the consequences of such an overrun.

Aircraft runway excursions are among the most common causes of airport accidents. Most runway excursion events are survivable. However, they also account for many fatalities in the aviation industry because of how frequently they occur compared to other accidents. 

According to the Flight Safety Foundation, these are the common causes of runway excursions during landing:

• Mechanical malfunction
• Long touchdown
• Ineffective braking because of runway contamination, improper technique, or hydroplaning 
• A necessary go-around was not conducted

The study also attributed the pilot’s overconfidence during landing as another cause of an excursion. It is uncommon, though, and difficult to quantify.

By far, the best way to prevent runway excursions is a holistic approach that involves the contribution of all the stakeholders. At its core, the collaborative work requires identifying hazards, conducting risk assessments, and improving runway safety through training and better infrastructure. 

Other actions that airports and airdromes can do to decrease runway excursions include:

• Hosting safety reviews to identify existing gaps and creating a corrective action plan.
• Paying attention to human factors such as fatigue, distraction, stress, etc., which can complicate even a simple task. 
• Following standard operating procedures (SOPs) to the letter.
• Reviewing existing runway excursion mitigation measures and ensuring they are well executed.
• Investing in better structure and proper airport lighting system for the runway’s safety area. 
• Adhering to safety recommendations by various aviation groups and government agencies.

Managing the danger of runway excursions is one of the most exemplary instances of how various aviation segments cannot succeed solely. The control of runway excursion risk and resilience depends on closely interrelated components.

The GAPPRE is a list of recommendations and instructions that summarizes the aviation industry’s consensus on the best practices to avoid runway excursions beyond regulatory compliance. It’s a 60-page aircraft operator’s guidance material that the flight crew can use as part of their daily routine. Several civil aviation organizations have worked to create the action plan, including the Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSP) and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

Improve Your Airport Lighting System

Runway excursions are a threat that every airport or airdrome must address. Aside from following the GAPPRE recommendations, airport management can also invest in a proper airport lighting system for improved visibility and safety, especially at night. 

Hali-Brite knows the value of safety for everyone in the airport. That’s why we created an excellent lighting system at reasonable prices. We also provide FAA-certified lighting products and solutions that fit your airport’s requirements. Contact us here today, and we’ll give you a free quote.

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Understanding Runway Excursions in Aviation: Causes and Prevention

Runway excursions in aviation are critical events that involve an aircraft departing the end or side of a runway surface during takeoffs or landings.

Despite being more common than we might think, runway excursions can have serious consequences, leading to accidents, injuries, and substantial damage.

In this article, we delve into the world of runway excursions, exploring their types, causes, and prevention strategies.

Why Runway Excursions Happen

Runway excursions are a more frequent occurrence in aviation than many of us realize.

The 2021 ICAO safety report reveals that in 2020 alone, nine accidents were attributed to runway excursions, resulting in 24 fatalities, 77 serious injuries, and significant damage to aircraft, including hull losses.

The recent Korean Air incident serves as a reminder of the potential risks associated with runway excursions.

What is a Runway Excursion?

A runway excursion occurs when an aircraft departs either the end or the side of the runway surface during takeoffs or landings. There are two main types of runway excursions:

• Veer-Off: An aircraft departs the side of the runway.
• Overrun: An aircraft departs the end of the runway.

Factors Leading to Runway Excursions:

During Takeoffs: Several factors contribute to runway excursions during takeoffs, highlighting the importance of precise decision-making and performance calculations.

Common factors include:

• Incorrect Takeoff Performance: Underestimating aircraft weight may lead pilots to attempt takeoff from an intersection point, reducing runway length. This can result in the aircraft running out of runway during takeoff.
• Poor Decision-Making: Pilots attempting to stop an aircraft after the decision speed (V1) may struggle to halt the aircraft’s momentum, often due to a failure occurring beyond this point.
• Engine Failure: Engine failure at the beginning of takeoff can make rudder control ineffective, causing the aircraft to veer off the runway due to unequal thrust.

During Landings: Runway excursions during landings are influenced by various factors, not solely pilot error .

Environmental conditions and runway states play pivotal roles:

• Unstabilized Approaches: Inability to maintain a stable approach with proper speed, glide, heading, and vertical path can lead to a runway overrun.
• Excessive Speed: Landing with excessive speed requires heavy braking, which may be insufficient to prevent a runway excursion after touchdown.
• Poor Touchdown Technique: Incorrect technique, such as floating over the runway or late engine thrust idling, can result in touchdown beyond the optimal zone, reducing deceleration space.
• Tailwinds and Crosswinds: Strong tailwinds can increase the risk of a runway overrun, while improper crosswind management can cause veering off the runway.

Preventing Runway Excursions

• Accurate Performance Calculations: Pilots must correctly assess aircraft weight and performance parameters to ensure adequate runway length for takeoff.
• Stabilized Approaches: Maintaining stable approach criteria, including correct speed and alignment, is crucial to preventing runway overruns during landings.
• Crosswind Techniques: Properly aligning the aircraft to the runway centerline and gradually adjusting for crosswinds before touchdown can mitigate veer-offs.
• Environmental Awareness: Pilots should consider runway conditions and tailwind limitations to make informed decisions during takeoffs and landings.

In the realm of aviation safety, preventing runway excursions is a paramount concern that requires a comprehensive approach.

Pilots and aviation professionals must adopt stringent measures to minimize the occurrence of these critical events. Accurate performance calculations during takeoff are essential, as underestimating aircraft weight can lead to attempting takeoff from an intersection point, potentially resulting in a runway overrun.

Stabilized approaches during landings play a pivotal role in preventing overruns, ensuring that the aircraft maintains the correct speed, alignment, and vertical path.

Crosswind techniques are vital for safe landings, where aligning the aircraft with the runway centerline and gradual adjustments before touchdown can mitigate veering off. Environmental factors, such as tailwinds and runway conditions, should always be taken into account, guiding pilots’ decisions during takeoffs and landings.

By combining these strategies and fostering heightened environmental awareness, the aviation community can collaboratively work towards reducing the risk of runway excursions, safeguarding both passengers and aircraft from potential harm.

Runway excursions remain a significant concern in aviation safety, demanding continuous vigilance and training to prevent accidents and incidents.

By understanding the causes and implementing effective prevention strategies, pilots and aviation professionals can work together to reduce the occurrence of runway excursions and ensure safer skies for all.

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Mitigating Runway Incursions and Excursions

Increasing runway safety through infrastructure improvements stands as one of our top priorities.

More intuitive, less complex taxiway geometries with improved edge lighting, airfield signage, and pavement markings help prevent runway incursions. Recent initiatives, like the Runway Incursion Mitigation (RIM) Program, advance these methods in further reducing runway incursions.

Standard runway safety areas (RSAs) reduce aircraft damage and aviator injury in the event of a runway excursion. Engineered materials arresting systems (EMAS) provide safety area performance in less space at land-constrained airports. Another recent initiative, the General Aviation (GA) RSA Program, looks to improve non-air carrier runway RSAs, similar to the air carrier runway RSA improvements made prior to 2015.

Infrastructure advancements such as these provide proven solutions towards mitigating runway incursions and excursions throughout the nation's airports.

• Engineered Materials Arresting Systems (EMAS)
• Runway Incursion Mitigation ( RIM ) Program
• Runway Safety Areas (RSAs)

Fact Sheets

• Runway Safety

Runway Safety Data

• Runway Safety Statistics
• Airport Design and Construction Branch

Related Programs

• FAA Runway Safety Program
• FAA Safety Management Systems
• FAA Safety Management Systems for Airport Operators
• ICAO Runway Safety Tool Kit

Simple Flying

Runway incursion vs. excursion – what is the difference.

Accidents that occur at airports can often be classified as either a runway incursion or excursion. Though severe incidents remain rare, minor examples happen more frequently than one might think. However, what is the difference between these two types of incidents?

Runway incursions

The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) defines a runway incursion as:

"Any occurrence at an aerodrome involving the incorrect presence of an aircraft, vehicle, or person on the protected area of a surface designated for the landing and take-off of aircraft."

Runway incursions are categorized separately to 'surface incidents.' This term concerns unapproved movements with the potential to affect flight safety that take place away from an airport's runway(s), such as on its taxiways or apron. The FAA categorizes runway incursions with increasing severity as follows:

• D - Incidents that meet the definition of a runway incursion, but have no immediate safety consequences.
• C - Incidents in which there is ample time/distance for the parties involved to avoid a collision.
• B - Incidents with decreased separation between the parties involved, resulting in significant collision potential. Time-critical correction/evasive response may be required in order to avoid a collision.
• A -  Incidents in which a collision is only narrowly avoided.
• Accident - Incidents in which the runway incursion results in a collision.

Incidents of varying severity

Such incidents have the potential to be incredibly severe. The Tenerife airport disaster in March 1977 resulted in 583 fatalities after two Boeing 747s, operated by KLM and Pan Am, collided on the runway at Tenerife North Airport. More recent examples include:

• Southwest Airlines flight 1392 struck and killed a person on the runway while landing at Austin, Texas, in May 2020.
• S7 Airlines flight 5219 was forced to make a go-around at Magadan, Russia, in August 2020 after its crew spotted a bear on the runway while on final approach.
• Two HK Express Airbus A321s   collided on the ground in Hong Kong in August 2020, resulting in no injuries.

Runway excursions

A runway excursion, on the other hand, is an incident in which an aircraft leaves the runway surface. This can either be in the form of veering off to the side, or overshooting the end of the runway. The FAA states that:

"These surface events occur while an aircraft is taking off or landing, and involve many factors ranging from unstable approaches to the condition of the runway."

Recent runway excursions include:

• Pegasus Airlines flight 747 slid off to the left of the runway at Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen while landing in January 2020, before becoming stuck in the soft ground. No injuries were reported.
• Air India Express flight 1344   crashed upon landing in rainy conditions after overshooting the runway at Kozhikode, India, in August 2020, resulting in 20 fatalities, including both pilots.

In order to reduce runway excursions and their associated dangers, the FAA has developed an online support tool . This resource carries a particular focus on upcoming winter operations, as this is a time in which weather is likely to be less favorable. It is refreshing to see the FAA tackling this problem head-on, despite the distractions of the present challenging aviation climate.

What are your thoughts about runway incursions and excursions? Let us know what you think in the comment section.

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Global action plan for the prevention of runway excursions (gappre).

Runway excursion is the most frequent accident type in aviation, represents one of the most serious risks in aviation and is one of the most economically significant safety events. The  European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)  2020 Annual Safety Review categorizes runway excursions as one of the top two key risk areas for large aeroplanes.

An International Air Transport Association (IATA) study of incident and accident data found that from 2005 through the first half of 2019 approximately 23 percent of the accidents in IATA’s global accident database involved runway excursion. It has been estimated that the direct cost of runway excursion events in 2019 was more than US$4 billion. Data shows that the industry has been effective in reducing the rate of commercial aviation runway excursion accidents, but the absolute number of accidents and incidents and their severity indicate a very high risk.

Runway excursion risk is a complex combination of factors involving different segments of the aviation industry including operators, airports, aircraft manufacturers and air navigation service providers. Mitigating the risk is best done cooperatively among the stakeholders. The complexity of runway excursion prevention efforts is derived from the fact that the effect of the risk and resilience factors is highly cumulative – runway condition maintenance and reporting; aircraft performance and operations; collaborative approach path management; and adherence to robust policies for safe descent and approach planning, stabilised approach, safe landing and go-around all play roles.

GAPPRE Development

The Global Action Plan for the Prevention of Runway Excursions (GAPPRE) was developed by an international group of aviation professionals from more than 40 different organisations divided into six working groups. The work was coordinated by EUROCONTROL and  Flight Safety Foundation (FSF) . GAPPRE was reviewed and validated by EASA, IATA, the Civil Air Navigations Services Organisation (CANSO) and Airports Council International (ACI).

GAPPRE comprises a set of consensus-based recommendations representing industry best practices and interventions that go beyond regulatory compliance. The recommendations address both risk and resilience factors. Some of the recommendations can be addressed and implemented right away and others will need to be developed over time.

GAPPRE is divided into two parts.

Part 1  contains the agreed recommendations to aerodrome operators, ANSPs, aircraft operators, aircraft manufacturers, regulators and the  International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)  and research and development recommendations for States, international organizations and the industry. Also included is a list of abbreviations and acronyms. Part 1 originally published on its own in January 2021.

Part 2  contains guidance and explanatory material, as well as best practices, that support the recommendations. The development of the material in Part 2 was based on the following principles:

• Provide further context to the targeted audience in order to facilitate the implementation of the recommendations contained in Part 1.
• Provide explanation, wherever possible, of the recommendation drivers.
• Incorporate advice for both normal and non-normal operation within the GEMs targeted at the operational actors.
• Use the principles of conservatism and defence in depth.
• Address organisations as Aircraft Operators, Airports and ANSPs rather than individuals like pilots and air traffic controllers.

The guidance and explanatory material is not intended to be limiting or prescriptive. It is based on best practices and materials shared by the industry in support of the GAPPRE implementation. The authors caution that the boundaries set by national regulators and internationally accepted provisions should be respected.

An expanded version of GAPPRE, containing both Parts 1 and 2, was published in May 2021 and can be downloaded below or from  Flight Safety Foundation's website .

Related Articles

• Runway Excursion
• Runway Incursion
• Local Runway Safety Teams (LRST)
• European Action Plan for the Prevention of Runway Excursions (EAPPRE)
• Changing Runways (SKYclip)

Further Reading

• Global Action Plan for the Prevention of Runway Excursions , Part 1 Recommendations and Part 2 Guidance and Explanatory Material, EUROCONTROL/Flight Safety Foundation, 5 May 2021.
• Pilot’s Best Practices for the Prevention of Runway Excursions , European Cockpit Association, January 2022.

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A Pilot’s Perspective On Enhancing Runway Safety

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I’ve spent the equivalent of almost 300 full days in flight throughout my career as a pilot. In each of those flights, the most crucial moment on my mind – as it is for most pilots – is the first minute during takeoff and the last minute before landing.

During those moments, my mind is hyper-focused on the path ahead of me and my eyes are trained on the sky and the airport environment around me. At the same time, I’m building my situational awareness by listening closely to communications from air traffic control (ATC) and radio updates from controllers and other pilots. It’s a choreographed process, and for most flights, it is completely sufficient.

Safety solutions, such as Honeywell’s SmartRunway/SmartLanding runway awareness and advisory system, can improve a pilot’s situational awareness and can minimize the risk of runway accidents.

But what if there’s miscommunication with ATC? Or another pilot forgets to alert a tower that they have missed a turn or stopped on the runway? Or a pilot and ATC try to speak at the same time and the messages get blocked? If the information ecosystem we rely on fails to alert us to a potential problem, we – as pilots – are isolated and unable to make informed decisions that could be the difference between landing on a clear runway and colliding with another plane. Fortunately, technologies already exist that can fill this information gap – and if you were in the driver’s seat and the technology to help prevent an accident on the road existed, wouldn’t you want yourself and others to have access to it?

Think of the safety features that are becoming commonplace in your car, such as a blind spot alert. Most days on the road, you’re able to catch a vehicle before it enters your blind spot, but every so often, the alert makes you aware of a car you didn’t see coming. It gives you enough time to react and take action. When it comes to safety, these seconds can be lifesaving.

Even though runway awareness technology exists for pilots and has received multiple recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), there is not yet a requirement for aircraft to have it in the cockpit. This needs to change immediately and the industry must act with more urgency. Let me explain why.

Runway Incursions: The Current Landscape

The safety legacy of our commercial aviation industry has made it one of the safest forms of transportation, but recently several underlying factors – such as the post-pandemic shortages of air traffic controllers and regional airline pilots combined with the post-pandemic bump in air traffic – have contributed to an increase in runway incursions that were very close to becoming catastrophes.

Runway incursions, which occur when an aircraft collides with another vehicle such as a plane or ground vehicle on the runway, have unfortunately risen over the past few years. According to a US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) report , 1,777 runway incursions took place in 2023, an increase from the 1,633 incidents in 2022 . These incidents account for approximately $1 billion annually in damages. Yet all too often, we are faced with tragic situations such as Japan's Haneda airport collision where a transport aircraft collided with a Coast Guard airplane, or we see unsettlingly close calls on the runway , such as the near-miss incidents earlier this month at Washington’s Ronald Reagan National Airport and New York’s Kennedy International Airport.

Over the years, there have been various attempts to help prevent runway incursions, but progress has been slow and costly. In the past two decades, the FAA has installed Airport Surface Detection Equipment, Model X at a select group of 35 airports for a combined cost of $550 million. This equipment is a helpful start, but it only addresses the problem at a fraction of the world’s airports. It could be another decade before it’s introduced into the 400 additional airports across the US, not to mention it would come at a huge taxpayer expense.

While these types of on-the-ground technologies are important, pilots should not have to rely solely on airports and ATCs for this information when there is existing aircraft-based technology that can put this information directly in the cockpit with us, without delay in interpretation and transmission. It is frustrating to watch these incidents rise when there are solutions readily available today that could have mitigated the loss of life in many of these situations.

Cockpit Alerting Technology: A Pilot’s Third Pair of Eyes?

In the vast majority of cases, the current ecosystem for mitigating runway incursions is effective. However, as recent incidents have shown, the safety margin is eroding and the near misses are getting nearer and nearer. Rather than relying solely on ATC and radio updates from other pilots as we do today, the industry can adopt cockpit alerting technology designed to arm pilots with the information and insight we need to be able to reduce the risk of accidents.

Cockpit alerting technology provides pilots with important situational awareness at the most critical points of a flight, essentially acting as a third set of eyes on the flight deck during both takeoff and landing. This technology works by assessing data already being broadcast by aircraft in the airport area. It also uses ground navigation GPS data to alert a pilot to its aircraft position when compared against airport locations. When there is potential for a runway accident, this tool provides a direct audio warning in the cockpit, which allows the pilot to take action to avoid a near-miss or potential incident.

In a landing situation, it would enable a pilot to either query the controller about this traffic alert, potentially increasing everyone’s situational awareness, or make the split-second decision to abort the landing and circle the airport again to avoid a collision. The tragic situation at Japan’s Haneda airport could have been avoided had the crew received this type of alert before landing.

Safety solutions, such as Honeywell’s SmartRunway/SmartLanding runway awareness and advisory system , can improve a pilot’s situational awareness and can minimize the risk of runway accidents, including runway incursions, runway excursions (i.e., running off the end of the runway because of excess energy) and wrong surface operations (i.e., landing on a parallel taxiway instead of runway or attempting to take off on a runway that is wrong or too short). Like many other cockpit alerting systems, a heads-up advisory system provides audio alerts to increase a pilot’s situational awareness during ground and air operations relative to the runway. This technology is already being installed on many newer aircraft, but is only used by several airlines.

With the ability to receive our own real-time alerts, even if there is an issue within the ecosystem or an error from ATC, this technology enables pilots to remain in control of the situation and improves our ability to react quickly and make informed decisions in an instant to reduce the risk of runway accidents.

The Simple Path to Adoption

Onboard cockpit alerting solutions are already FAA-certified, recommended by the US National Transportation Safety Board and can easily be installed in aircraft in a cost-effective manner. The question is: Why aren’t they being implemented?

A common misperception is that this technology adds another action to a pilot’s to-do list – but I can say from experience that this is simply not the case. While all aircraft have different requirements, the reality is that this technology is relatively easy to implement into aircraft equipment and once installed, can provide the flight crew with a new tool in their situational awareness toolkit. During the flight itself, it wouldn’t add to our checklist or be on our minds – until it’s providing us with a potentially lifesaving alert.

For airlines, the integration of cockpit alerting technology is also a relatively simple process that typically requires a software upgrade to an existing program that can be customized to fit individual operating environments and can easily be standardized across an entire fleet. For pilots, training on this technology is minimal because it’s a progression of existing aural and visual technology and would provide message alerts in a format already familiar to pilots. The alerting would only happen if the system detects an impending situation – otherwise, if everything progresses as expected, there would not be an alert generated.

The Future of Air Safety: Why Wait?

Nothing should be sacrificed when it comes to the safety of passengers. If the technology is available and has already been proven effective, we should do our part to ensure it is implemented and put into all pilots’ hands. Based on my 7,000 flight hours in the sky, I strongly believe that incorporating cockpit alerting systems into all commercial aircraft today would help increase passenger safety, especially given the rise in close calls over the past several years. We can do something now to help prevent an accident, so why wait?

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