NBAA releases guide on reducing runway excursions, to host free safety webinar

The NBAA released a new publication to reduce the number of runway excursions across the country. "Reducing Runway Excursions in Business Aviation: A high-level guide on mitigating the risks," is a 25-page document that examines the many psychological and physical factors that could lead to a possible excursion during the takeoff and landing phases, explaining how to address these in training programs and safety management systems. Runway excursions are the leading cause of accidents in business aviation and according to the Flight Safety Foundation, between 2017 and 2022, business jet operations had 79 runway excursions. Business jet runway excursions made up nearly 41 percent of business jet accidents from 2017 to 2022, six of which resulted in 18 deaths. "Runway excursions were, by far, the most common accident type in corporate jet operations in 2022 and throughout the period under review," The FSF said in its 2022 Safety Report.READ THE FULL GUIDE "The Runway Excursion Guide is intended to raise awareness about a significant challenge facing the business aviation industry," NBAA Manager of Flight Operations Noah Yarborough said. "Written in plain English, the document contains a series of practical steps that flight crews and operators can take to improve airport safety in a proactive manner. The guide is also designed to be a reference for a number of factors to consider, along with links to more in-depth reading from industry resources that have spent considerable time studying the causes of, and possible solutions, to runway excursions." As well as deadly consequences, runway excursions cause substantial damage to or the destruction of aircraft, leading to pricey litigation and harm to the reputation of the operators and pilots. The large number of incidents has also contributed to the increase in aviation-related insurance premiums in recent years. "As a sector of professional aviation, business aviation operators can and must make a concerted effort to reverse this trend of runway excursions," the guide said.Register for the webinar or access the recording In an additional effort to reduce the number of runway excursions nationwide, the NBAA is hosting a free NBAA News Hour webinar, "Elevating Runway and Surface Safety in Business Aviation at 1 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Nov. 28. The webinar will include experts from the NBAA, FAA and NTSB. The experts will offer perspectives on how to enhance runway and surface safety and bring safer practices to the flight deck. Featured presenters include Alex Gersten, CAM, Moderator and Director of Airports and Ground Infrastructure at the NBAA; Ben Kohler, CAM and G650 Captain of Pfizer; Betty Koschig, the Senior Air Traffic Control Investigator at the NTSB; and Scott Proudfoot, Runway Safety Team Manager at the FAA. The event will be recorded and you have the option to register now. The guide updates an original publication prepared in 2016. The NBAA shared it was forming a working group to focus on runway and surface safety. The Runway and Surface Safety Working Group will bring in experts from various NBAA committees and across the aviation industry. "Improvement begins with knowledge of the risks and how to mitigate them," the guide said. "There already exists a wealth of knowledge and data, compiled by some of the most respected organizations and regulators in the world. It is incumbent upon all business aviation operators to become familiar with this material, incorporate it into their SOPs as appropriate, and contribute to reducing the frequency of runway excursions in the sector. NBAA has published this guide in an attempt to bring this information to light and provide references to the expertly compiled data for those who wish to explore it."