Comments on: Runway Incursions

By: Ron

Ron — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 06:01:47 +0000

Sam, thanks for your perspective on the runway incursions at these two airports. LGB can definitely be a confusing place, especially for the unprepared pilot.

You also bring up a good point, which is that not all runway incursions are created equal. Some incursions create a definite collision hazard. Others, like your “slightly over the hold line” example, present no danger to persons or property.

I enjoy your site, by the way.

By: Sam Weigel

Sam Weigel — Tue, 29 Nov 2005 21:09:34 +0000

I used to fly into LGB twice daily as a freight dog, and fly into LAX often now as a regional FO. I’ve witnessed runway incursions take place at both places. At LGB, a C172 was instructed to taxi from Million Air to 25L at D; he missed D and taxied onto 30, with an airplane on short final. At LAX a 757 that’d just landed on 24R & was supposed to hold short 24L went rather slightly over the hold line for 24L & was told to give the tower a call. I think he was just a little late on the brakes. Two very different kinds of incursions that I think are fairly representative of those two airports.

By: SEQU

SEQU — Tue, 29 Nov 2005 15:39:12 +0000

Hi,

I think the reason behind the amount of runway incursions at LAX is the fact that landing aircraft have to hold short of active runways for departing aircraft before proceeding to their gates. Many times one has to hold in between the runways because of landing traffic behind you. Sometimes, the aircraft stray into the departing runway causing an incursion.

Saludos,

SEQU

By: John McGarvey

John McGarvey — Sat, 26 Nov 2005 18:38:24 +0000

Very interesting article.

I fly out of Long Beach (private pilot) and can tell you the runway & taxiway layout is crazy. No wonder AOPA used LGB for the sample airport in the Runway incursion training. When runway incursions occur at LGB, my first guess is that its due to the runways/taxiways. Even though they have LAHSO standard on my runways, there is a heavy concentration of general aviation planes mixing in with the airliners.

However, as mentioned in the article, I don’t see who the runway layout (all parellel with each other) and the lack of general aviation, can be blamed for the incursions at LAX. If I understand the reasons, LAX has 4 parellel runways – 24R/24L and 25R/25L, and they use 24R (on the most northern end of the complex) and 25L (on the most southern end of the complex) for landings (typically), and the inner two runways for departures. Landing aircraft then have to taxi across the 1/2 or 3/4 point of the departure runway to get to the terminals. I could never understand why the don’t use the outer most runways for departures and in the inner runways for landings? If they did, then the landing aircraft would not have to taxi over any runway to get to the terminals.