Non flying reporter has suggestion to reduce runway excursions by installing a pressure plate system...

Narrative:

I am a senior aviation medical examiner for the FAA as well as being an ophthalmologist. I have had 20 some yrs experience as a naval flight surgeon with transport aircraft and pilots. I have long enjoyed your publication 'callback'. I have been thinking of the following proposal as a matter for aviation safety. Not knowing the detailed INS and outs of the FAA, I have chosen you as a starting point for your consideration as to further evaluation. The past several yrs has seen a somewhat frightening number of aircraft accidents occurring with a common thread of 2 aircraft occupying a runway at the same time. While waiting for a traffic light one day I became aware of the metallic rectangle in the pavement which sensed the presence of my automobile and signaled the traffic light to change. My thought would be to install a mechanism of this type in the end 1000 ft of a runway. Were there to be points at which access might be gained to the runway from intxns, a similar track would be placed on the runway at this location. With no aircraft on the runway, things would appear as they do now. However, as an aircraft took an active runway prior to departure, the sensor would detect the aircraft and do 2 things. First there would be red lights at the approach end which a landing aircraft would note and take as an indication for wave off. All intxns would be protected by red lights which would illuminate thereby alerting any aircraft about to enter the active runway at an intersection of the danger. There would be a time delay of some number of seconds after the aircraft had left the runway either having taken off or turned off after landing on a taxiway, after which the system would revert to a normal status. This system might be linked to the tower on a runway diagram but a critical aid would be an audio and visual alarm should the system at any time sense 2 aircraft on the runway at the same time. I have had much experience with commercial aviation as a flight surgeon and have acquired a master's degree in safety from usc. However, I am not a pilot and have had no experience with airport ground control. I am making a presumption that such system would not be too expensive if they can be used extensively on urban streets for traffic control. I also presume that it would not detract from the structural integrity of a runway to have this strip installed. This would be a supplement to ground radar and help back up a failure of the human link in the system. I think we all need to listen humbly to the great dr. X who says that if a situation can happen once, it can happen again. That makes it rather easy to say that if it has happened 3 or 4 times that I can think of off hand, it is very likely to happen again. I would much appreciate your considered opinion of this idea. I would appreciate some sort of informal follow-up. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: analyst called reporter and thanked him for report and for taking the time to put his thoughts and recommendations down on paper. Stated that we would discuss his suggestion with the other analyst and see where we want to go with it.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: NON FLYING RPTR HAS SUGGESTION TO REDUCE RWY EXCURSIONS BY INSTALLING A PRESSURE PLATE SYS INCLUDING RED AND GREEN LIGHTS AT INTXNS AND APCH END OF RWY TO WARN BOTH PLTS AND CTLRS THAT RWY IS OCCUPIED.

Narrative: I AM A SENIOR AVIATION MEDICAL EXAMINER FOR THE FAA AS WELL AS BEING AN OPHTHALMOLOGIST. I HAVE HAD 20 SOME YRS EXPERIENCE AS A NAVAL FLT SURGEON WITH TRANSPORT ACFT AND PLTS. I HAVE LONG ENJOYED YOUR PUBLICATION 'CALLBACK'. I HAVE BEEN THINKING OF THE FOLLOWING PROPOSAL AS A MATTER FOR AVIATION SAFETY. NOT KNOWING THE DETAILED INS AND OUTS OF THE FAA, I HAVE CHOSEN YOU AS A STARTING POINT FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION AS TO FURTHER EVALUATION. THE PAST SEVERAL YRS HAS SEEN A SOMEWHAT FRIGHTENING NUMBER OF ACFT ACCIDENTS OCCURRING WITH A COMMON THREAD OF 2 ACFT OCCUPYING A RWY AT THE SAME TIME. WHILE WAITING FOR A TFC LIGHT ONE DAY I BECAME AWARE OF THE METALLIC RECTANGLE IN THE PAVEMENT WHICH SENSED THE PRESENCE OF MY AUTOMOBILE AND SIGNALED THE TFC LIGHT TO CHANGE. MY THOUGHT WOULD BE TO INSTALL A MECHANISM OF THIS TYPE IN THE END 1000 FT OF A RWY. WERE THERE TO BE POINTS AT WHICH ACCESS MIGHT BE GAINED TO THE RWY FROM INTXNS, A SIMILAR TRACK WOULD BE PLACED ON THE RWY AT THIS LOCATION. WITH NO ACFT ON THE RWY, THINGS WOULD APPEAR AS THEY DO NOW. HOWEVER, AS AN ACFT TOOK AN ACTIVE RWY PRIOR TO DEP, THE SENSOR WOULD DETECT THE ACFT AND DO 2 THINGS. FIRST THERE WOULD BE RED LIGHTS AT THE APCH END WHICH A LNDG ACFT WOULD NOTE AND TAKE AS AN INDICATION FOR WAVE OFF. ALL INTXNS WOULD BE PROTECTED BY RED LIGHTS WHICH WOULD ILLUMINATE THEREBY ALERTING ANY ACFT ABOUT TO ENTER THE ACTIVE RWY AT AN INTXN OF THE DANGER. THERE WOULD BE A TIME DELAY OF SOME NUMBER OF SECONDS AFTER THE ACFT HAD LEFT THE RWY EITHER HAVING TAKEN OFF OR TURNED OFF AFTER LNDG ON A TAXIWAY, AFTER WHICH THE SYS WOULD REVERT TO A NORMAL STATUS. THIS SYS MIGHT BE LINKED TO THE TWR ON A RWY DIAGRAM BUT A CRITICAL AID WOULD BE AN AUDIO AND VISUAL ALARM SHOULD THE SYS AT ANY TIME SENSE 2 ACFT ON THE RWY AT THE SAME TIME. I HAVE HAD MUCH EXPERIENCE WITH COMMERCIAL AVIATION AS A FLT SURGEON AND HAVE ACQUIRED A MASTER'S DEGREE IN SAFETY FROM USC. HOWEVER, I AM NOT A PLT AND HAVE HAD NO EXPERIENCE WITH ARPT GND CTL. I AM MAKING A PRESUMPTION THAT SUCH SYS WOULD NOT BE TOO EXPENSIVE IF THEY CAN BE USED EXTENSIVELY ON URBAN STREETS FOR TFC CTL. I ALSO PRESUME THAT IT WOULD NOT DETRACT FROM THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF A RWY TO HAVE THIS STRIP INSTALLED. THIS WOULD BE A SUPPLEMENT TO GND RADAR AND HELP BACK UP A FAILURE OF THE HUMAN LINK IN THE SYS. I THINK WE ALL NEED TO LISTEN HUMBLY TO THE GREAT DR. X WHO SAYS THAT IF A SITUATION CAN HAPPEN ONCE, IT CAN HAPPEN AGAIN. THAT MAKES IT RATHER EASY TO SAY THAT IF IT HAS HAPPENED 3 OR 4 TIMES THAT I CAN THINK OF OFF HAND, IT IS VERY LIKELY TO HAPPEN AGAIN. I WOULD MUCH APPRECIATE YOUR CONSIDERED OPINION OF THIS IDEA. I WOULD APPRECIATE SOME SORT OF INFORMAL FOLLOW-UP. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: ANALYST CALLED RPTR AND THANKED HIM FOR RPT AND FOR TAKING THE TIME TO PUT HIS THOUGHTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS DOWN ON PAPER. STATED THAT WE WOULD DISCUSS HIS SUGGESTION WITH THE OTHER ANALYST AND SEE WHERE WE WANT TO GO WITH IT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.

Attributes
ACN	190713
Time
Date	199110
Day	Mon
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : orf
State Reference	VA
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	Any Unknown or Unlisted Aircraft Manufacturer
Person 1
Affiliation	Other
Function	other personnel other
Qualification	other other : other
ASRS Report	190713
Events
Anomaly	other anomaly other other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other other : unspecified
Resolutory Action	other
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Air Traffic Incident	other
Situations
Airport	other physical facility

Non flying reporter has suggestion to reduce runway excursions by installing a pressure plate system including red and green lights at intxns and approach end of runway to warn both pilots and controllers that runway is occupied.