About unauthorised people on runways after forced access to airports and the potential deadly consequences, you can read here:
1. Demonstrations at European and North American Airports
For more than a year, certain activists have forcibly entered airport premises in Europe (e. g. in Germany, the United Kingdom, and Norway), as well as in North America to gain public attention. All traffic to and from the affected airports had to be cancelled, was delayed, or had to be deviated until the activists had been removed from taxiways and runways by the police.
In this article, we will not look at the huge financial consequences for the airports and the airlines. We will not highlight the criminal penalties, either. This article will deal with the hazards, which these actions may cause.
It is important to note that, so far, the usual operations at the affected airports could be resumed without any reported incident. Hence, this article will highlight potential risks, which unauthorised people on runways may pose.
2. Running an Airport Safely Is a Huge Challenge
In this subchapter, we will elucidate what it takes to run an airport providing safety, precision, and the expected efficiency concerning all necessary actions and services at all times.
The daily routines at an airport without any unforeseen disruptions are already highly demanding.
2.1. Complex Operations Demand Perfect Performances of All Professionals
Not only aircraft, but also various types of vehicles use the apron, the taxiways, and the runways. Pilots, drivers, and service personnel of all kinds have to pay close attention to the existing rules and the internationally standardised signage. In addition, all professionals have to exert superb situational awareness and spot any traffic that might come into their path early.
2.2. At Large Airports, ATC Officers Guide Extremely Dense Traffic
Air traffic control officers play a vital part in guiding not only aeroplanes, but also all vehicles on the ground. In order to fulfil their complex tasks, they need special skills, such as an extraordinary short-term memory and excellent spacial awareness. At international airports, air traffic control is divided into several parts that work closely together (subchapter 4).
Several measures, including the separation of aircraft from one another at all times, help to avoid Runway Incursions which still happen nonetheless. Briefly, a runway incursion is the presence of any aircraft, vehicle, or person, which is not cleared to use or cross the runway at that point in time. Hence, one could say that the activists on the runway cause an unusual type of runway incursion.
2.3. The Sudden Appearance of Activists, the Startle Effect, and Distractions
Accidents
Accidents may already happen when activists cut their way through the surrounding fences and enter the airport premises, because the air traffic is dense. They may overlook a moving aircraft or vehicle as they do not know from which direction what aeroplane, bus or car will come at what speed. Moreover, they might be overlooked themselves.
The Startle Effect and Distractions
In addition, no one reckons with their sudden appearance. From a CRM point of view, this may trigger the startle effect and cause distractions. The startle effect is an age-old reflex, which lets us freeze at first. Then, it prepares our bodies for the flight-or-fight response. High amounts of adrenalin are secreted. It takes a moment until we are able to think clearly and act appropriately again.
Distractions belong to the human factors. When we are distracted, we lose our concentration on the current task and turn our attention to whatever causes the distraction. In the case of the activists invading an airport, air traffic controllers may lose a plane out of their sight for a moment and be distracted not only by the persons on the runway, but also because they think about the next steps they will have to take.
In the following subchapters, we will elcudiate more of the serious consequences that the activists´ presence and actions may have.
3. An Unexpectedly Increased Workload Can Cause Accidents
3.1. During the First Momens, There Will Be Chaos
There will be chaos during the first moments after the invaders have been detected. All of a sudden, all traffic on the ground must be stopped. No one knows in which direction the invaders will walk. In addition, airliners, which are still approaching the airport, must rapidly be placed in holding patterns, or diverted to other airports, depending on their distance to the affected airport.
When we now think about how difficult an air traffic controller´s job is, we can easily imagine that such an event increases the likelihood to make a momentous error. Examples of such errors include forgetting a plane or vehicle on a particular runway or issuing a wrong clearance.
3.2. Rapid Recovery From the Startle Effect and Great Skills Are Needed
It is vital to recover from the startle effect quickly. ATC officers must now use what they have learned in training and all their experience to handle the situation, which demands that they stop all traffic without any collision.
In order to achieve this, they must manage the workload and make sensible decisions instantly. They must use their situational awareness maximally, to keep an eye on every single airliner or vehicle which is currently under their control. In their communication with the affected pilots, they should not show that they are under enormous pressure (another human factor). Despite of the pressure and everything that is going on simultaneously, they still have to use standard phraseology.
It is also due to the excellent work of ATC officers that such demonstrations have not caused a serious accident yet.
4. Runways, but Also Taxiways Must Be as Clean as Possible
Now, we will turn our attention to another type of problem, namely foreign object debris, FOD, on runways. We will elucidate briefly, what it is and what is done at airports around the world to diminish its amount.
4.1. Types of Foreign Object Debris, FOD, on Runways
Foreign object debris, FOD, is not only found on runways, but also on the apron and taxiways. It can include the following items, amongst others:
- parts that have fallen from aircraft or vehicles
- small parts which are used during repairs and maintenance work
- parts from broken equipment on the ground
- birds
In some cases, the activists used a mixture of concrete and epoxy resin to glue their hands to the tarmac. Could all the remaining bits of this mixture be removed in a timely manner? Had any other objects been left behind?
It is admirable if the pressure to reopen the airport as quickly as possible has not impaired any necessary cleaning of the runway.
4.2. What Helps to Keep Runways as Clean as Possible?
At the airports, thoroughly composed programmes are in place to keep the amount of FOD to a minimum. These include the following measures, amongst others:
- adequate staff training
- appropriate maintenance of all buildings, equipment, and aircraft
- inspections of the airport surfaces
- sweeping the runways using dedicated cleaning machines
- magnetic bars under vehicles that collect any metallic objects from the tarmac
- removing any detected FOD immediately
5. The Jet Blast Can Throw Debris Around at High Speed
In subchapter 2.2., we have seen that air traffic controllers separate aircraft meticulously. This also ensures that pilots are not affected by the jet blast of the plane that took off before them. However, the separation of aeroplanes does not help when a strong jet blast picks up foreign object debris from the runway.
5.1. What Is the Jet Blast and Why Is It Dangerous?
The jet blast is the strong wind that leaves the jet engines at the rear. It can reach a velocity of 100 knots, or 185,2 kilometres per hour during take-off, when a strong thrust is needed to accelerate the plane. As the jet blast can be so fast and forceful, it can easily pick up any debris that is lying on the runway and throw it across the airport at a very high speed. The prop wash, which is caused by a propeller, can also turn debris into a flying projectile.
In addition, the jet blast is strong enough to throw people around. Therefore, it is dangerous when unauthorised people, who know nothing about aeroplanes and airports, think that they are visually far away enough from the plane, but are then hit by its jet blast. Fortunately, no activists have experienced this so far.
5.2. Flying Debris Can Damage Various Objects and Even Kill People
Even though aircraft are separated during their take-offs, vehicles, sensitive structures, and persons can be nearby, for instance, at the entrance to a runway or at a crossing. Damage can be done to other aircraft, to vehicles, or the sensitive infrastructure at the airport, such as the hugely important lighting and signage. Furthermore, people may be injured or even killed.
6. Debris on the Runway Can Damage an Aircraft Seriously
A piece as small as a pen cap can already cause serious damage.
Foreign object damage, FOD, can result from any type of debris that hits an airliner. It can also occur when an aeroplane rolls over debris at high speed. Foreign object damage includes:
- damage to the tyres, which may explode
- parts of the tyres can, in turn, destroy the fuselage or the wings
- the debris itself may hit the fuselage
- debris can be sucked into the engines, break fan blades and cause an engine failure
- aircraft mechansims can be blocked
- the fuel tanks in the wings can be punctured
7. A Metal Strip on the Runway Caused a Deadly Accident
On July 25th, 2000, flight AF 4590 was about to take off from Charles de Gaulle Airport near Paris, France. The aeroplane used for this flight was a Concorde, registered F-BTSC. During the take-off run, one of the tyres exploded and one part of it struck one of the fuel tanks. A fire ensued. The pilots did everything they could to lift their plane off the runway and make it climb. However, the damage was too severe, and the Concorde crashed into a nearby hotel. In this air accident, all 100 passengers, nine crew members, and four people on the ground were killed.
During the investigation, it was discovered that a strip of metal, which had been used on a DC-10 to repair one of its thrust reversers, had losened and fallen onto the runway as this aeroplane took off right before the Concorde. The Concorde had run over it with its front right tyre of the left landing gear.
This tragic air crash, which sadly cost 113 people their lives, underpins how important it is to do everything that can be done to keep the runways as clean as possible.
8. Unauthorised People on Runways Are Not Harmless
As we have seen, the potential hazards can lead to devastating consequences. Let us sum up these consequences once again:
- As the activists enter the airport they may cause serious accidents if the are overlooked or they themselves overlook a vehicle or aeroplane.
- After they have been detected, there will be moments with huge workloads for all professionals, especially the air traffic controllers until all traffic has been stopped. This alone will make serious accidents on the ground or in the air more likely.
- The unusually high workload will continue until all flights and other operations are back to their normal schedules. Also in this phase, accidents can happen due to the enhanced likelihood of errors.
- Any debris, which may be unintentionally left behind on the taxiways and runways and which is not removed by runway sweepers immediately, can cause deadly crashes through several types of damage.
- Foreign object debris on the runway, FOD, can also be propelled around the airport at a very high speed by the jet blast of an aircraft or a prop wash. Such an object can also cause damage or even kill someone.
Unauthorised access to runways should be punished accordingly. It would even be better to raise the awareness to the hazards and potentially resulting deadly accidents in order to avoid such violent disturbances in the first place.
9. The Sarin Attack, Challenges, and Solutions in the Next Article
In October, we will return to hazardous scenes and explore the sarin attack on the underground in Tokio, Japan, in March 1995. We will focus on how one hospital in particular responded to this mass casualty incident. Its staff had to deal with several typical challenges, for instance, staff shortages, not enough rooms, and being overwhelmed by the worried well. They later discussed the difficult circumstances and their actions in a truly informative article.
Author: Eva-Maria Schottdorf
Date: September 30th, 2024
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