FAA Adopts ICAO Definition for Runway Incursions

Effective immediately, the FAA will use ICAO's definition for a runway incursion in order to standardize its uses and help determine common factors that contribute to these incidents.

The biggest difference between the two definitions is that ICAO defines a runway incursion as any unauthorized intrusion onto a runway, regardless of whether or not an aircraft presents a potential conflict.  For the FAA, an incident without an aircraft in potential conflict - such as an unauthorized aircraft crossing an empty runway - was defined as a surface incident, not a runway incursion.

The new definition means that some incidents that the FAA formerly classified as surface incidents will now be classified as C or D category runway incursions, which are low-risk incidents where there was ample time or distance to avoid a collision.  The classification of the most serious kinds of runway incursions - categories A and B - remains unchanged, and all incidents tracked in the past will continue to be tracked.

The FAA helped ICAO come up with its definition, which was adopted in November 2005.  Before that definition was developed, countries around the world used at least 20 different definitions for these episodes.  10-07-2007.

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