NTSB To Host Runway Incursion Roundtable (Corrected)

A week after the FAA struck a committee to discuss the state of aviation safety, the NTSB has announced it will host a roundtable discussion on the spate of serious…

A week after the FAA struck a committee to discuss the state of aviation safety, the NTSB has announced it will host a roundtable discussion on the spate of serious runway incursions that occurred in the first quarter of the year. The four-hour morning discussion will be hosted by NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy on May 23 at NTSB headquarters in Washington. The board said in a news release the meeting will be open to the public and and recorded for download later. It will feature "safety experts from the aviation industry, labor, and government to discuss the current state of the runway incursion problem and possible solutions and next steps." The release doesn't name the experts.

“I look forward to hosting a candid assessment of what’s been done to prevent runway incursions in the years since our last event on the topic—and to spur meaningful, immediate action on the areas where we’re stalled,” said Homendy. “By proactively looking for ways to make our skies safer, this event reflects our agency’s commitment to meeting the same high standards we ask of others.” In the first three months of the year, at least six runway incursions involving airliners that resulted in some kind of diversion or go-around occurred at U.S. airports.

An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the meeting would be streamed online. It will be recorded and available later.

Russ Niles is Editor-in-Chief of AVweb. He has been a pilot for 30 years and joined AVweb 22 years ago. He and his wife Marni live in southern British Columbia where they also operate a small winery.