ABSTRACT
Runway incidents are a critical safety issue facing the aviation industry, with worldwide costs estimated at a billion US dollars annually (Honeywell Aerospace, 2009). A runway incursion is an event where a vehicle or object has entered an active runway without clearance. Many incursions involve other aircraft, but they can also include service vehicles as well as wildlife that can be large or numerous enough to pose a risk to aircraft. This chapter examines the concern over incursions from the unique perspective of the general aviation pilot encountering a runway incursion upon landing. Until such time as runway incursions no longer occur—if that were possible—the ability of pilots on approach to detect and avoid an incursion remains an important aspect of runway safety. The following discussion is guided by the results of research where pilots landing a high-fidelity Cessna 172 simulator were faced with an approaching aircraft traveling in the wrong direction on the active runway. Our research is focused on the relationship of pilot age, expertise, and cognition to the outcome of the incursion scenario.
