What are some common Airport Aircraft Accidents? “Runway Excursions”

Sometimes because of ice, water, wind, or other conditions, jets overrun or veer off of the runway during landing, taxiing, or takeoff. When an aircraft leaves the paved surface of the runway during landing or takeoff, it’s referred to as a “runway excursion “. These have been some of the most common types of aircraft accidents.

Snow, ice, rain, high winds, de-icer can all cause a jet to overrun or skid off a runway. These runway excursions are more common than you might think. Airports with tight landing patterns and short runways, like D.C.’s Reagan National Airport (DCA), have to be especially careful to prevent such incidents.

Fortunately, in the majority of runway excursions, the jets come safely to a stop. One reason that many of these runway excursions do not result in serious injury and or death is that the zones surrounding runways are equipped with structures that are frangible. Frangible means that they are designed to break easily upon impact. A good example of this is seen in NASCAR races, where pieces of the car go flying about when a car hits a wall or other driver, but the occupants are uninjured.

Because of the implementation of frangible structures around runways and the Air Operations Area (AOA), many accidents involving jet aircrafts hitting breakable structures at the end of runways have not been fatal. For example, in October 2022, a Korean aircraft skidded off of a runway amid heavy rain and smashed into a metal structure. That structure was part of an antenna array used to help aircraft land at the airport in the Philippines. The array broke apart upon impact, and all passengers and crew members survived.

The control tower shown here appears to be frangible, which is a crucial safety design intended to absorb impact without endangering passengers or crew.

However, when structures in the AOA are not designed to break apart or are not made of frangible materials, catastrophic results can ensue. In December 2024, a Boeing 737–800 made an emergency landing on its belly at South Korea’s Muan International Airport. That jet skidded past the end of the runway and smashed into a concrete structure. Upon impact, it burst into flames and all passengers and flight crew members aboard were killed. The problem with that structure was that it had a concrete base reinforced with steel, which did not break apart upon impact. This incident highlighted the fatal risk of using non-frangible materials near runways.

One would think that there would be strict international regulations making airports safe. Just like with the Montreal Convention, there are multinational guidelines that seek to minimize risk, and make standardization across the globe possible. There is a United Nations aviation safety agency, known as the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), that issues recommendations to keep areas near airport runways clear of dangerous obstacles. However, it is up to the regulators in each country, and private companies that manage airports, to implement, interpret, and oversee compliance of those standards. As a result, the ICAO appears to not have significant enforcement ability and compliance varies widely from country to country.

Designated safety zones around runways help prevent accidents and protect workers, passengers, and pilots.

Surprisingly, runway overruns happen more often than most realize, but according to the Flight Safety Foundation in Alexandria, Virginia, the use of frangible structures significantly reduces the risk of harm. The safety of the Air Operations Area around the runway is critical, so the presence of reinforced steel, concrete, and other hardened objects needs to be changed or protected against impact with skidding aircraft.

The ICAO recommends airports have “safe zones” around their runways. The runway and safety areas should have structures, such as antenna arrays and their mounts, that break easily on impact. In the United States, the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration), has improved safety standards after an American Airlines jet landed and ran into a rigid stanchion just off of the runway, tearing through the plane and killing 11 passengers. The FAA recommends for most large airports in the US that any structure within 1000 feet of the runways be frangible. In contrast, the ICAO guidelines recommend a minimum safety area of either 295 or 787 feet, depending on factors such as runway length. It is hoped that greater uniformity and safety will be implemented by the ICAO, and adopted by all countries that are signatories to the Montreal Convention, for the benefit of the flying public and airline crews.

If you or someone you love has been injured in a runway excursion or any airport-related accident, don’t wait. Lawyer Doug Landau and the team at ABRAMS LANDAU, Ltd. are committed to advocating for injured passengers and their families. Contact us today to get experienced legal help tailored to aviation-related injuries at frontdesk@landaulawshop.com or call/text us at (703) 796-9555.