Flight Safety Foundation Airport Operations 2003

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November–December 2003

B-747 Collision With Airbridge Follows Apparent Brake Failure 4 pages. [PDF 77K]

Passenger behavior — described by the chief cabin attendant as a ‘riot’ prompted by observations of wing-tank fuel venting — complicated the flight crew’s return to the gate in response to a failed engine instrument. Failure to manually connect an auxiliary hydraulic pump rendered the aircraft brake system inoperative for taxi.

September–October 2003

Audit of ATC Operational Errors Prompts Call for Mandatory Remedial Training 4 pages. [PDF 71K]

The U.S. Department of Transportation investigated whether optional traininghas been effective in reducing operational errors by air traffic controllers. Auditors recommended a policy of mandatory training — without connotations of punishment — when relatively serious operational errors occur.

July–August 2003

New Strategies Prevent ATC Clearances for Operation on Closed Runways 6 pages. [PDF 108K]

In a few recent runway incursions, aircraft crews obtained an inadvertent clearance from air traffic controllers to take off or to land on a closed runway. Solutions have included revised procedures, improved communication and reevaluation of some memory aids.

May–June 2003

Human Error Causes Outages in Airway Facilities 6 pages. [PDF 149K]

To prevent personnel-induced equipment outages, operations managers see opportunities to improve communication and coordination, address procedural problems and avoid issues caused by the introduction of new software or equipment.

March–April 2003

High-visibility Clothing Alone Fails to Protect Workers From Being Struck by Vehicles 6 pages. [PDF 82K]

Reviewing U.S. injuries/fatalities, air carrier data and international airport surveys, a study by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration found an industry consensus favoring comprehensive apron-safety programs at airports. Conspicuity of workers often was not a factor in accidents.

January–February 2003

Inadequate Weather Communication Cited in B-737 Microburst-downdraft Incident 8 pages. [PDF 55K]

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said that, among other factors, air traffic controllers did not advise the flight crew — nor did the crew request — details about the lateral limits, direction of travel and groundspeed of a thunderstorm approaching the destination airport.