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United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

Ending Serious Close Calls

The U.S. aviation system is the safest in the world, but one close call is one too many. In February 2023 the FAA issued a Safety Call to Action to take a critical look at the U.S. aerospace system’s structure, culture, processes, systems, and integration of safety efforts.

The FAA and the aviation community are pursuing a goal of zero serious close calls by examining a combination of technical and human factors. The same approach virtually eliminated the risk of fatalities aboard U.S. commercial airlines. Since 2009, U.S. carriers have transported more than the world’s population with no fatal crashes.

The FAA maintains extremely conservative standards for keeping aircraft safely separated. Safety experts follow up on all events — even those in which no collision was imminent or even possible — and evaluate them for safety risks. 

Safety is not a static destination; it is the relentless pursuit that requires continuous improvement. The FAA will continue to analyze the data and make thoughtful and holistic recommendations to advance safety in the National Airspace System.

Taking Action

steps faa is taking  to end serious close calls graphic


Understanding Runway Safety Components

Multiple layers of safety protect the traveling public, including: Traffic Collision Avoidance Systems on commercial aircraft, surface safety technology at the country's biggest airports, and robust procedures. Human factors including runway signage, air traffic controllers, and pilots all play critical roles. The agency has hired 1,500 controllers for FY2023. This is in addition to the more than 2,600 controllers that are at various levels of training at air traffic facilities across the country. We increased our hiring goals for FY2024 and expect to hire 1,800 controllers.

Runway Incursion Data 

A runway incursion is any occurrence at an airport involving the incorrect presence of an aircraft, vehicle or person on a runway. Incursions are caused by operational incidents, pilot deviations, and vehicle/pedestrian deviations; and they vary greatly in type and severity.

The number and rate of serious runway incursions are steadily declining since the pandemic.

In the first three months of 2024, the rate of serious incidents (Category A and B) decreased by 59 percent from the same period in 2023, from 0.56 per one million airport operations to 0.23 per one million operations. 


Causes of runway incursions for CY2023:  

  • 60% are Pilot Deviations 
  • 20% are Operational Incidents 
  • 20% are Vehicle/Pedestrian deviations 

categories of runway incursions

Last updated: Tuesday, October 8, 2024