Expediting Aircraft Recovery at Airports. Airport Cooperative Research Program. (ACRP ) 38. A Synthesis of Airport Practice.

摘要

All airports, by their very nature, may experience an aircraft excursion from a runway or taxiway. Whether the excursion occurs during takeoff or landing, is categorized as a veer-off or overrun, is intentional or unintentional, such an event typically results in an aircraft that is unable to move using its own powerin other words, it becomes a disabled aircraft. Once an aircraft becomes disabled, it must be removed or recovered. During this process, certain procedures must be followed not only to expedite the recovery of the aircraft, but also to avoid injury to personnel, damage to airport equipment, or secondary damage to the aircraft. These events tax the resources of the airport operator and call for cooperation among the airport, aircraft owner/operator, and other local parties. This synthesis focuses on the recovery of disabled aircraft. More specifically, it addresses what airports can do to expedite the recovery of disabled aircraft. Typically, this is paramount, as disabled aircraft may result in the closure of pavement or even entire airports. Although it is difficult to determine the number of delayed flights or the costs of the delays due specifically to closed runways as a result of disabled aircraft, with overall costs of domestic flight delays exceeding $30 billion in 2007, it is imperative for airport operators to reduce the causes of delays as much as possible. With one or more runways closed because of disabled aircraft, the airports capacity is adversely affected and delays will often result. It is important, therefore, for airport operators to recover a disabled aircraft as soon as practical. To that end, this report provides guidance in the area of aircraft recovery, acquired by means of a thorough review of the literature and interviews with key personnel involved with selected disabled aircraft events.