Runway Excursions: Causes, Prevention Strategies and Key Regulations for Business Aviation

Runway excursions are consistently identified as the leading accident category in business aviation by frequency of occurrence. The Flight Safety Foundation, in partnership with EUROCONTROL, has tracked runway excursion events across commercial and business aviation globally for more than two decades, and the data shows that runway excursions account for a disproportionate share of both hull losses and fatal accidents relative to other accident categories.

A runway excursion occurs when an aircraft departs the runway surface inappropriately, whether by overrunning the end of the runway or veering off the side. Unlike a runway incursion, which involves an unauthorized aircraft, vehicle, or person entering a runway without clearance, a runway excursion involves the aircraft itself departing the surface it was intended to use for takeoff or landing. Both are runway safety events, but the causes, contributing factors, and prevention measures differ significantly.

For business aviation operators, runway excursions are particularly relevant because of the range of airports and runway conditions that business jets operate into. A commercial airline landing at a major hub on a long, well-maintained runway in ideal conditions faces a different risk profile than a business jet landing at a shorter secondary airport in wet conditions, at night, after a long flight. Understanding the causes of runway excursions, the prevention measures that address each cause, and the regulatory framework that governs runway safety allows operators to systematically reduce their exposure to this category of risk.

Runway Excursion Statistics: How Common Are Runway Excursion Events in Business Aviation?

Runway excursions are one of the most persistent safety challenges in aviation because they occur across all phases of surface operations, involve a wide range of contributing factors, and affect operators of all sizes and experience levels.

The Flight Safety Foundation’s runway safety data consistently identifies runway excursions as accounting for roughly one third of all aviation accidents worldwide when measured across both commercial and general aviation. Within business aviation specifically, landing-phase runway overruns represent the single most frequent accident scenario, with veer-offs during both takeoff and landing contributing a significant secondary proportion of events.

The factors that make runway excursions particularly significant from a risk management perspective are their frequency relative to other accident categories, the high proportion of events that result in aircraft damage or total loss even when there are no fatalities, and the fact that the majority of runway excursion events occur in conditions that were knowable at the time of departure: wet or contaminated runway surfaces, tailwind components at or near limits, landing performance margins that were technically legal but operationally tight, and approaches that became unstabilized before the decision altitude or visual acquisition point.

This last factor is operationally significant. Runway excursion data consistently shows that a high proportion of overrun events follow approaches where stabilized approach criteria were not met but the crew continued to a landing rather than conducting a go-around. The decision to continue an unstabilized approach is the single most frequently identified contributing factor in runway overrun accidents across all aviation categories.

What is a Runway Excursion?

A runway excursion is a runway safety incident in which an aircraft makes an inappropriate exit from the runway surface. Runway excursions include runway overruns, which occur when an aircraft is unable to stop before it reaches the end of the runway, and runway veer-offs, which occur when an aircraft departs the side of the runway. Runway excursions can happen during takeoff or landing, and involve many factors ranging from unstable approaches to the condition of the runway. It is worth noting the distinction between a runway excursion and a runway incursion, as the two terms are sometimes confused. A runway incursion is a safety event where an unauthorized aircraft, vehicle, or person enters a runway without clearance, creating a collision risk with aircraft operating on or approaching that runway. A runway excursion involves only the aircraft itself departing the runway surface. Both are serious runway safety events tracked by ICAO and national aviation authorities, but they involve different causal factors and prevention measures. This guide focuses specifically on runway excursions.

How to Prevent Runway Excursions?

Preventing runway excursions requires coordination and commitment among numerous industry stakeholders, including aerodrome operators, aircraft operators, air navigation service providers, aircraft manufacturers, regulators, and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). The Global Action Plan for the Prevention of Runway Excursions (GAPPRE) was developed by an international team of more than 100 aviation professionals from more than 40 organizations, coordinated by the Flight Safety Foundation and EUROCONTROL. The GAPPRE provides recommendations and guidance material for each stakeholder group, as well as research and development recommendations for states, international organizations, and the industry.

Some of the key recommendations for aircraft operators are:

• Conduct a runway excursion risk assessment for each airport and runway used, taking into account runway length, width, slope, surface condition, obstacles, weather, and operational factors.
• Implement standard operating procedures (SOPs) and training programs that emphasize the importance of stabilized approaches, go-around decision making, landing performance calculations, and runway condition assessment and reporting.
• Equip aircraft with runway overrun prevention systems (ROPS) or equivalent systems that provide real-time information and alerts to the flight crew on the available landing distance and the required braking action.
• Use all available means to enhance situational awareness during takeoff and landing, such as runway status lights (RWSL), enhanced flight vision systems (EFVS), synthetic vision systems (SVS), and head-up displays (HUD).
• Report any runway excursion events or hazards to the relevant authorities and share the lessons learned with the industry.
• Comply with procedures and regulations that govern your flight operations, such as the ICAO Annex 14, the Global Runway Safety Action Plan (GRSAP), and the Global Action Plan for the Prevention of Runway Excursions (GAPPRE).

What Causes a Runway Excursion?

Runway excursion causes fall into three broad categories: crew decision making, aircraft performance factors, and environmental and runway conditions. Most runway excursion events involve contributing factors from more than one category, and the interaction between them is often what turns a manageable situation into an accident.

Crew decision making factors

Continuation of an unsterilized approach is the most frequently cited crew decision making factor in runway overrun accidents. When an approach becomes unsterilized below the stabilized approach gate (typically 1,000 feet above ground level in instrument conditions or 500 feet in visual conditions), the correct response is a go-around. The data is clear that approaches which are unstabilized at those gates and are continued to landing carry significantly elevated overrun risk. Pressure to complete the flight, low fuel state, crew fatigue, and unfamiliarity with the stabilized approach criteria for the specific operation all contribute to continuation decisions.

Long touchdown, touching down significantly beyond the threshold, reduces the available stopping distance and is a primary cause of runway overruns on shorter runways or when runway surface conditions are degraded. Long touchdowns often follow unstabilized approaches where the crew allowed airspeed to remain high through the flare.

Go-around decisions made late, after a long or fast touchdown, put the aircraft in a low-energy state with insufficient runway remaining to stop if the go-around is rejected and insufficient height and energy for a safe climbout if it is continued.

Aircraft performance factors

Gear malfunction affecting braking system availability is a mechanical cause of runway overruns that cannot always be predicted at the crew level. Autobrake system failures, antiskid faults, and brake hydraulic anomalies can all reduce stopping performance compared to what the landing distance calculation assumed.

Hydroplaning on wet or flooded runway surfaces reduces effective braking significantly. Standing water depths of as little as a few millimeters can cause dynamic hydroplaning on smooth or rubber-contaminated surfaces, and the resulting braking performance degradation can be severe and sudden.

Environmental and runway conditions

Runway contamination from water, snow, ice, slush, or rubber deposits is a primary environmental factor in runway excursions. For business jets operating in icing conditions, de-icing and anti-icing procedures for both the aircraft and runway surface form part of the pre-departure assessment. Contaminated runway performance data must be used for landing distance calculations when contamination is present, and the conservative end of the reported braking action should be used when conditions are marginal or variable. Current runway condition information is published through SNOWTAM and NOTAM reporting and should be checked as part of the pre-departure weather and runway assessment.

Tailwind components at landing increase groundspeed for a given approach airspeed and extend the required landing distance. Even a tailwind component of 5 to 10 knots at landing significantly increases required stopping distance compared to calm or headwind conditions.

Adverse crosswind conditions contribute more to veer-off events than to overruns. High crosswind landings require precise directional control through the landing roll, and any tendency for the aircraft to drift can develop quickly into a veer-off if not corrected promptly.

Key Regulations to Prevent Runway Excursions

Here are crucial regulations to prevent runway excursions and ensure the safe operation of aircraft during takeoff and landing. Following these guidelines is essential for maintaining aviation safety and minimizing the risk of incidents associated with runway excursions.

 

• ICAO Annex 14 is a part of the Convention on International Civil Aviation that contains the Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) for airport design and operations, which States undertake to apply. It covers topics such as aerodrome certification, physical characteristics, obstacle restriction and removal, visual aids, electrical systems, aerodrome operational services, and aerodrome maintenance. It also refers to various manuals, procedures and circulars that provide guidance and support for the implementation of the SARPs.
• The Global Runway Safety Action Plan (GRSAP) is a document that provides recommended actions for all runway safety stakeholders, with the aim of reducing the global rate of runway excursions and runway incursions. It was developed by an international team of more than 100 aviation professionals from more than 40 organizations, coordinated by the Flight Safety Foundation and EUROCONTROL. It is linked to the ICAO Global Aviation Safety Plan and the Global Action Plan for the Prevention of Runway Excursions (GAPPRE).

Runway excursion risk is influenced by the planning decisions made before the aircraft ever reaches the runway. For business aviation operators, flight support that incorporates accurate runway performance data, current runway condition information, and careful alternate airport selection is one of the most effective operational inputs for reducing runway excursion exposure. Just Aviation’s trip planning and flight and route planning services include review of airport-specific performance considerations, runway length and surface condition awareness, and coordination of the ground handling and operational support that allows crews to arrive at each destination fully briefed and without the schedule pressure that contributes to poor landing decisions. Contact us to discuss the operational support your flights need.