What are runway incursions? Do they occur at North Texas airports? Here’s what to know
An American Airlines flight and Army helicopter collided Wednesday evening, killing all 67 aboard the two aircraft.
The collision occurred at 8:47 p.m. over the Potomac River just miles from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia. Federal officials say it’s too early to determine the cause of the collision.
A series of high-profile near-misses in recent years has prompted nationwide government investigations into air safety gaps and protocols.
As of May 2023, only 0.9% of the nation’s air control towers were adequately staffed, according to a New York Times investigation into the causes of near-collisions; an internal Federal Aviation Administration report obtained by the outlet found that Reagan’s control tower was understaffed on the night of Wednesday’s crash.
The FAA documented 30 runway incursions per one million takeoffs and landings last year, about the same near-miss rate as 2015.
Most of the incidents posed “no immediate safety consequences,” according to federal investigators; only one constituted “a serious incident in which a collision was narrowly avoided.”
What exactly are “runway incursions” and do they occur at North Texas airports? Here’s what to know.
Defining runway incursions
A runway incursion is described as “any occurrence at an aerodrome involving the incorrect presence of an aircraft, vehicle or person on the protected area of a surface designated for the landing and take off of aircraft,” according to the FAA.
The FAA says there’s four categories of runway incursions:
- Category A- A serious incident in which a collision was narrowly avoided.
- Category B- An incident in which separation decreases and there is significant potential for collision.
- Category C- An incident characterized by ample time and/or distance to avoid a collision.
- Category D- An incident that meets the definition of runway incursion, such as incorrect presence of a vehicle/person/aircraft on the protected area of a surface designated for landing and take-off, but with no immediate safety consequences.
Do runway incursions happen at North Texas airports?
Yes, runway incursions happen at most airports across the Lone Star state.
In total, the FAA recorded 130 runway incursions at Texas airports last year. Several of those incursions happened at North Texas area airports:
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport
- Jan. 5- Category D
- Feb. 2- Category D
- Feb. 11- Category D
- Feb. 15- Category D
- March 5- Category C
- March 6- Category C
- March 11- Category C
- April 10- Category D
- April 17- Category C
- May 6- Category D
- May 8- Category C
- May 25- Category C
- May 26- Category D
- June 3- Category C
- July 20- Category C
- Aug. 11- Category D
- Sept. 7- Category D
Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport
- Jan. 30- Category D
- Feb. 19- Category C
- Feb. 25- Category D
- April 29- Category D
- May 8- Category C
- June 12- Category C
- June 25- Category C
- Aug. 30- Category D
- Sept. 18- Category D
Fort Worth Meacham International Airport
- Jan. 11- Category D
- Jan. 31- Category D
- March 5- Category C
- June 23- Category D
- July 4- Category C
- Aug. 7- Category C
- Aug. 7- Category D
- Aug. 27- Category D
Addison Airport
- April 4- Category C
- June 17- Category D
- July 3- Category D
- Aug. 16- Category D
Denton Enterprise Airport
- Feb. 24- Category D
- March 26- Category D
- April 4- Category C
- May 14- Category D
Fort Worth Spinks Airport
- June 4- Category D
- June 6- Category D
- Aug. 2- Category C
Arlington Municipal Airport
- July 16- Category D
- Sept. 28- Category D
McKinney National Airport
- April 22- Category D
- Sept. 24- Category C
Dallas Love Field
- Feb. 14- Category D
Mesquite Metro Airport
- May 8- Category C
