Getting a Grip on Runaway Runways
ASA is leading an
international effort to create a system that allows airport operators
to get a better handle on winter weather conditions to reduce the amount
of accidents attributed to ice and snow on runways. A research team spent
time in Canada proving technology concepts for a better understanding
of runway friction, improved tire designs, better chemical treatments
for snow and ice, and new types of runway surfaces that minimize bad weather
effects.
In spite of advances in technology and operational procedures, safe winter operations remain a challenge for airport operators, air traffic controllers, airline personnel and pilots who must coordinate their efforts under rapidly changing weather conditions. In response, the research team developed an international runway friction indexing method tested on wintry runways at the Jack Garland Airport in North Bay, Ontario, Canada, about 200 miles north of Toronto.
Researchers are comparing friction measurements from ground-friction-measuring vehicles and research aircraft in different winter runway conditions. The team is midway through a five-year study called the Joint Winter Runway Friction Measurement Program, which is also expected to help relieve airport congestion during bad weather.
Inaccurate, incomplete or confusing runway surface information has been a contributing factor in a number of cases in which airliners have slid off the end of the runway upon takeoff or landing or have been dangerously slow in reaching liftoff speed because of the slowing effect of snow, ice or rain. An aircraft's loss of traction has been a factor in approximately 30 airplane accidents between 1983 and 1995, according to reports from the National Transportation Safety Board.
Once confident in the new indexing method, the research team will focus on relating it to different aircraft types and sizes. "The index will be a single, accurate and easy-to-use tool to help both pilots and airport operators worldwide quickly assess winter runway conditions," said Thomas Yager, lead NASA engineer, who is based at the Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.
The index—probably in the form of a simple chart—will help pilots with "go/no-go" runway decisions based on readings taken by a ground-friction-measuring vehicle on the same runway. The index will help airport operators determine whether their runways are suitable for aircraft operations and when maintenance is required.
Getting a grip on runaway runways is a joint effort led by NASA and Transport Canada, with support from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Canadian National Research Council and several airframe manufacturers. European and Scandinavian countries are also participating.
The study contributes to NASA's recently established effort to reduce the U.S. aircraft accident rate by a factor of five within 10 years, while maintaining safety. NASA also has the goal of tripling airline system capacity in all weather conditions within 10 years.
For more information, contact Tom Yager at Langley Research Center.
Call (757) 864-1304, Fax: (757) 864-8090, E-mail: T.J.Yager@larc.nasa.gov
Please mention you read about it in Innovation.
"Go/no-go" icy runway
decisions could be helped with results from current international runway
friction index testing.
