Maintaining Separation on the Ground

A Cessna 172 and a Cessna 152 collided on the runway at Sarasota, Florida’s, towered airport, resulting in four fatalities. According to the NTSB report, confusion in the tower and lack of attention in the cockpit were factors in the accident. The 152 had been cleared for takeoff. The 172, which was holding short for an intersection departure, was then cleared onto the runway, and taxied right into the path of the 152 on its takeoff roll. The controller thought the 172 he’d cleared onto the active was the aircraft waiting behind the 152. And those aboard the 172 involved in the accident apparently didn’t look for traffic before proceeding onto the active runway. This accident underscores the fact that pilots need to maintain constant vigilance, whether under the control of ATC personnel or not.

The November, 1996 collision of a Beech King Air and a Beech 1900 in Quincy, Illinois, illustrates the potential consequences of incursions at nontowered airports. Cockpit voice recorder tapes from the 1900 indicate that confusion and lack of attention and communication played prominent roles in this disaster. The 1900 was on a straight-in approach for Runway 13, and announced its intentions on the CTAF. The King Air announced it was going to take off on Runway 4. The crew of the 1900 asked if the King Air was going to hold until they landed. However, a third aircraft at the airport, a Piper Cherokee behind the King Air on Runway 4, responded that he would hold, and that transmission was partially blocked, apparently leading the 1900 crew to believe the transmission was from the King Air. The 1900 continued with its landing as the King Air commenced its takeoff roll. They collided at the intersection of the two runways, claiming the lives of all those aboard both aircraft.

Watch Runway Safety: Quincy, Il, an animated reconstruction of this accident.