25 close calls on Pearson runways in 5 years

[Guest]

25 close calls on Pearson runways in 5 years, says safety board amid investigation

Latest runway incursion incident happened on Monday: Transportation Safety Board

By Lauren Pelley, CBC NewsPosted: Aug 16, 2017 1:46 PM ET Last Updated: Aug 16, 2017 2:17 PM ET

On Monday, the Transportation Safety Board of Canada deployed a team of investigators to Toronto's Pearson International Airport after a runway incursion. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)

 

 

At least 25 close calls have happened on Pearson International Airport runways in the last five years, including another runway incursion this week, says the Transportation Safety Board.

The latest incident happened at roughly 6:35 p.m. on Monday and has prompted a TSB investigation, said Ewan Tasker, Ontario's regional manager of air investigations with the board.

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Republic Flight 3553, a regional United flight flying in from Newark, N.J., was landing at Pearson, he said. The plane was cleared to land on Runway 24 Left — an outer runway. After landing, the crew was told to not cross the inner runway that's normally used for departures. At the same time, Air Canada Flight 878 was departing from the inner runway, en route to Zurich.

As the plane on runway 24 Left was approaching the inner runway line, Tasker said the air traffic controller noticed they were going faster than normal and told them to stop, but the plane wound up crossing the line into the protected area.

"If that incident happened in isolation, we probably wouldn't be launching a full investigation into it," Tasker said. "But we've had this type of exact incident happen a whole bunch of times recently."

 

This marks the second similar incident at Pearson in less than a week. The TSB also deployed a team of investigators to the airport on Aug. 9 after another runway incursion.

The latest close call happened amid a broader TSB investigation into runway incursions between the parallel runways at the south complex of Pearson.

At least 25 runway incursions since June 2012

That investigation, launched in May, is examining numerous incidents that have happened between runways 06 Left and 24 Right, and 06 Right and 24 Left, between June 2012 and June 2017.

Tasker said in total, at least 25 runway incursions have happened at Pearson since June 2012.

"Eventually, one of them could be much more serious," Tasker said.

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Back in June 2012, the Greater Toronto Airport Authority — which operates Pearson — wrapped up a previous investigation into runway incursions on the south complex of the airport, according to the TSB.

They found 40 occurrences of interest between 2004 and the end of 2011, of which 20 were inner runway incursions.

"The GTAA implemented a runway incursion plan based on its findings, and completed the changes outlined in the plan at the end of 2013," reads a summary from the TSB.

In a statement to CBC News, the GTAA said they are "fully cooperating" with the TSB's ongoing review. 

The changes made by the GTAA in 2013 included lighting, markings and signage improvements, and additional information for flight crews "to support situational awareness of runway incursion 'hot spots' at Toronto Pearson," coupled with an awareness campaign with the U.S. regional carriers.

"While these improvements have had a significant impact, incursions in this area continue and we'll be looking to mount this campaign again for continued awareness," the statement continued.

The GTAA will also be asking NAV Canada — the capital corporation that owns and operates Canada's civil air navigation service — to meet and discuss ways to reduce incursions.

 

The TSB's ongoing investigation is happening through the fall, and a final report will be made public after that.

[gator]

Maybe it's the direction that they position the red wigwags beside the stop bar/line. They point the spot lights along the line of the stop line instead of at the approaching aircraft. As usual with Nav Can'tada, they do it different than almost everywhere else. And when it's the same, it's usually China, the best ATC in the world.

[dagger]

Here's a bit more on  that Monday incident

 

https://www.thespec.com/news-story/7504813-pearson-airport-suffers-another-close-call-on-a-runway/

In Monday's incident, an Embraer 175 regional jet operated by Republic Airline, had landed on runway 24 left about 6:35 p.m. after a flight from Newark, N.J. The jet exited on to a taxiway at the end of the runway and a tower controller gave the pilots instructions to hold short of a parallel runway.

An Air Canada Boeing 787 bound for Zurich was cleared for departure on that parallel runway and began its takeoff roll.

But as has happened many times before, the controller, concerned that the jet was going a "little fast" and wasn't going to stop as instructed, issued fresh instructions, Tasker said.

"Brickyard 3553, please stop there," the controller said, using the airline's call sign, according to a recording on the website liveatc.net.

The jet stopped but just past the hold short line that marks the boundary to the protected runway environment. At the time, the Air Canada jet was halfway down the parallel runway, accelerating quickly for takeoff, Tasker said.

Even if the regional jet entered the parallel runway, the Air Canada flight was safely airborne by that point, he said.

But Tasker said this latest event drives home the concerns around a recent rash of incursions involving the two parallel runways on the airport's south side that has prompted the safety board to launch a special review of operations.

 

[Seeker]

The runway layout has a lot to do with it.  Take a look at EWR or BOS;

Now look at YYZ:

 

Closely spaced parallel runways without a taxiway between them are highly conducive to runway incursions.  I'm not excusing the pilots who did this but they probably were more familiar with the taxiway-between layout.  In general terms you want to land and get off the runway as quickly as possible.  At busy US airports you are expected to exit the runway are fairly high speed and use the exit taxiway and the taxiway between to continue to slow (yes, I know there are US airports that do not have this layout and, naturally, slippery conditions will necessitate a change to this procedure).  At YYZ, landing on 24L you cannot exit the runway at high speed because the hold short line for 24R is very close to 24L.

I'm always surprised that the ATIS doesn't include a plain language warning such as ;  "Aircraft landing 24L be aware that runway 24R is active.  These runways are closely-spaced and the hold-short line is very close to the exit point of 24L."  I guess it's hard to phrase it succintly and in ICAO-approved terms.

Of course professional pilots should notice this on their own and be able to mitigate the threat the runway layout poses.

 

[blues deville]

The added comment to the ATIS is a good idea!

LAX has the same problem for aircraft landing 24R and departures on 24L. 

[gator]

1 hour ago, seeker said:

I'm always surprised that the ATIS doesn't include a plain language warning such as ;  "Aircraft landing 24L be aware that runway 24R is active.  These runways are closely-spaced and the hold-short line is very close to the exit point of 24L."  I guess it's hard to phrase it succintly and in ICAO-approved terms.ate the threat it poses

 

17 minutes ago, blues deville said:

The added comment to the ATIS is a good idea!

The ATIS in YYZ is the longest ATIS in the world as it is with year round warning of migratory birds (if they migrate, why are we talking about them in January) and now "small birds". I don't understand why they don't include rodents and coyotes. Can't remember if they still have the thing about operating transponders on the ground.... adding one more thing is just more noise.

All the tower has to say is "Cleared to land, hold short 24R on clearing".

[blues deville]

4 minutes ago, gator said:

 

The ATIS in YYZ is the longest ATIS in the world as it is with year round warning of migratory birds (if they migrate, why are we talking about them in January) and now "small birds". I don't understand why they don't include rodents and coyotes. Can't remember if they still have the thing about operating transponders on the ground.... adding one more thing is just more noise.

All the tower has to say is "Cleared to land, hold short 24R on clearing".

Migratory because they feed north of the airport and hang out in Lake Ontario year round which doesn't freeze. We have the same Canada Goose route over our house close the lake. 

More ATIS comments might be noise but it's less than the sound of crushing aluminum. 

[j.k.]

I agree. 

Too much junk on the ATIS. Give me the weather, active runways and any critical temporary abnormal conditions that might apply that I might have missed when reading through the 6000-odd notams I got in my briefing package... ie. closed runway, ILS inop, high speed exit closed... that sorta stuff...

Put the permanent warnings on the JEPP info pages. Go into detail as appropriate... bird species, favourite foods, nesting habits, mating rituals...

ie.

Arrivals/Departures -

Significant Year Round Bird Activity at Airport. 

Closely Spaced Runways - Hold Short when Clearing North from South Runway. Do Not Cross Hold Line Until Cleared by Tower.

...etc, etc...

 

[Vsplat]

I think the comment about no parallel taxiway between parallel runways is a good one.  It does a couple of things, including providing some deceleration space.

One of my pet peeves in YYZ is their tendency to yap out clearing instructions as you are slowing down, possibly transferring control.  I've had it where I was told to expedite clearing, then a late clearance to ground who wanted me to make a sharp right turn at the first parallel taxiway, while I was still at 30 knots.  I wouldn't want to try that in my car, let alone an aircraft.

Of course, everything is HIRO, max speed until the turn off.  That doesn't leave a lot of room between the 24's to get things stopped.

Another little gem is the tendency to give a complex clearance involving multiple runway and taxiway crossings, then create a conflict with a subsequent clearance to another aircraft, then try to untangle the resultant situation.  If the crew of the first aircraft does not get the amended clerance on time (and it is pretty frequent that the flight number is clipped from the transmission, or the transmission gets stepped on), then they simply execute their initial clearance and viola!  They are assessed an incursion.  How about a clearance short of the intersection if there is active traffic in that vicinity, or not clearing a subsequent aircraft into a conflict until the first aircraft is given and reads back the new hold short?

Rant over....

Vs

 

[Boney]

Issue the ATIS at the same time every hour, similar to the US, UK, etc., at 56 to the hour. It's quite annoying that the ATIS can be issued at whatever time they get around to it.

For me, at all close parallel runways, I brief that we hold short of the other runway. Eg. landing on 24L in CYYZ, hold short of 24R and stay on tower frequency.

Cheers.

[gator]

Despite the volume of useless information on them, I do find that YYZ does issue the ATIS pretty consistently... about 7 minutes after the hour. The US and UK do their weather readings at 50, so it would make sense that their ATIS's are issued 6 or 7 minutes after the weather is assessed.... same as Canada...

1 minute before the new one is issued, it is about 1:06 old.... the same as Canada.

...apologies for participating in thread drift.

[gator]

Talked to the lead investigator on this yesterday.

In every case of runway incursion between the parallels being investigated, the tower gave the hold short instruction and the traffic read it back. 

So why are pilots missing the stop line? Is it lighting? is it the corner just before the stop line that prevents a pilot from seeing the line in time? Should there be a big red light straight ahead on the deceleration lane?

I advised him that the red spotlights at each end of the stop line are pointed parallel to the line, not at the approaching traffic. 

The minimum distance from the runway for the stop line is 90 ft. At YYZ it is 115. They also have a monitor controller who advises the primary controller if anyone goes over the line. But, even though they have an extra 25 feet before ICAO standard distance, it's still a runway incursion if they go past the line. Apparently, the monitor controller can't broadcast, probably because it's up to the primary controller to figure out the best course of action once the incursion occurs.

 

[Seeker]

7 hours ago, gator said:

So why are pilots missing the stop line? Is it lighting? is it the corner just before the stop line that prevents a pilot from seeing the line in time? Should there be a big red light straight ahead on the deceleration lane?

 

Pilots are "missing" the hold line because they are prioritizing exiting the runway expeditiously over the hold short instruction.  The feeling, I'm guessing, from US pilots is that there's someone 3 miles behind them landing and they need to quickly clear the runway - this is their primary concern - so they exit at high speed and then think about that hold short instruction.  By then they're over the line or unable to stop.  HIRO means something different in Toronto than it means other places.  I could be wrong but I think it's unlikely that a Canadian pilot would make this same mistake because we all know that there's lots of room behind us and therefore don't feel the same pressure to exit at high speed.  Of course YYZ is our home airport so we're more familiar with it's quirks and would be more likely to make some other error at a US airport that we fly to rarely.