CTO Runway Incursion Prevention 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary reason tower controllers are required to scan all active runways continuously, even during high workload periods?
- To detect unauthorized runway incursions or conflicts before they become critical (Correct answer)
- To satisfy FAA audit requirements for operational documentation
- To provide real-time traffic counts to airport operations
- To monitor aircraft performance on landing rollout
Correct answer: To detect unauthorized runway incursions or conflicts before they become critical
Continuous runway scanning is the controller's core visual safety tool, enabling early detection of incursions before they escalate.
Question 2: A controller notices a pilot has entered a runway without clearance. After stopping the aircraft, what must the controller do?
- File a runway incursion report and notify the supervisor immediately (Correct answer)
- Issue an amended clearance and continue operations without reporting
- Contact the pilot privately to resolve the misunderstanding before reporting
- Wait for the pilot to file a voluntary safety report before taking action
Correct answer: File a runway incursion report and notify the supervisor immediately
All runway incursions must be reported immediately to the supervisor and documented per FAA safety reporting requirements.
Question 3: What is the 'sterile cockpit rule' equivalent for tower controllers regarding runway incursion prevention?
- Controllers should eliminate non-essential communication and distractions during critical phases such as takeoff and landing clearances (Correct answer)
- Controllers must remain silent on all frequencies during ILS approaches
- Only the position controller may speak during parallel runway operations
- All non-ATC personnel must leave the tower cab during low visibility operations
Correct answer: Controllers should eliminate non-essential communication and distractions during critical phases such as takeoff and landing clearances
Minimizing non-essential activity and distraction during critical clearance issuance mirrors the sterile cockpit concept and reduces error likelihood.
Question 4: Which human factors issue is most commonly cited as contributing to controller-caused runway incursions?
- Loss of situational awareness due to workload, fatigue, or distraction (Correct answer)
- Inadequate radar equipment in the tower cab
- Failure of ASDE-X to detect surface targets
- Insufficient runway lighting during night operations
Correct answer: Loss of situational awareness due to workload, fatigue, or distraction
Loss of situational awareness — often driven by high workload, fatigue, or momentary distraction — is the most frequently cited human factors cause in controller-involved incursions.
Question 5: When an aircraft is instructed to 'taxi to and hold short of Runway 28L,' what is the aircraft authorized to do?
- Taxi to the holding position of Runway 28L and stop without entering the runway (Correct answer)
- Enter Runway 28L and hold in position for departure
- Taxi across Runway 28L and hold short of the next runway
- Taxi to the far end of Runway 28L and await further instructions
Correct answer: Taxi to the holding position of Runway 28L and stop without entering the runway
The aircraft must stop at the holding position markings and may not enter the runway until an explicit runway entry or crossing clearance is issued.
Question 6: Which FAA voluntary safety reporting program allows pilots and controllers to report runway incursion-related events without fear of punitive action?
- Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) and NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) (Correct answer)
- FAA Enforcement Discretion Program only
- National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) incident hotline
- Transportation Security Administration (TSA) security reporting system
Correct answer: Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP) and NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS)
ASAP and ASRS both provide protected channels for voluntary safety reporting, encouraging disclosure of incidents that might otherwise go unreported.
Question 7: What role does standardized phraseology play in runway incursion prevention?
- It reduces ambiguity so pilots and controllers share a clear, common understanding of instructions and clearances (Correct answer)
- It speeds up communication to allow more aircraft movements per hour
- It ensures that non-English-speaking pilots can understand instructions
- It satisfies ICAO documentation requirements for international airports
Correct answer: It reduces ambiguity so pilots and controllers share a clear, common understanding of instructions and clearances
Standard phraseology eliminates ambiguity — a leading cause of miscommunication-driven runway incursions — by ensuring all parties interpret instructions identically.
CTO Runway Incursion Prevention 5
What is the primary reason tower controllers are required to scan all active runways continuously, even during high workload periods?