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Pilot Deviations: 

• Crossing a runway hold marking without clearance from ATC 

• Taking off without clearance 

• Landing without clearance 

Operational Incidents (OI): 

• Clearing an aircraft onto a runway while another aircraft is landing on the same runway 

• Issuing a takeoff clearance while the runway is occupied by another aircraft or vehicle 

Vehicle (Driver) Deviations: 

• Crossing a runway hold marking without ATC clearance 

According to FAA data, approximately 65 percent of all runway incursions are caused by pilots. Of the pilot runway incursions, FAA data shows almost half of those incursions are caused by GA pilots. 

## Causal Factors of Runway Incursions 

Detailed investigations of runway incursions over the past 10 years have identified three major areas contributing to these events: 

• Failure to comply with ATC instructions 

• Lack of airport familiarity 

• Nonconformance with standard operating procedures 

Clear, concise, and effective pilot/controller communication is paramount to safe airport surface operations. You must fully understand and comply with all ATC instructions. It is mandatory to read back all runway “ hold short ” instructions verbatim. 

Taxiing on an unfamiliar airport can be very challenging, especially during hours of darkness or low visibility. A request may be made for progressive taxi instructions which include step by step taxi routing instructions. Ensure you have a current airport diagram, remain “heads-up” with eyes outside, and devote your entire attention to surface navigation per ATC clearance. All checklists should be completed while the aircraft is stopped. There is no place for non-essential chatter or other activities while maintaining vigilance during taxi. [Figure 14-48] 

## Runway Confusion 

Runway confusion is a subset of runway incursions and often results in you unintentionally taking off or landing on a taxiway or wrong runway. Generally, you are unaware of the mistake until after it has occurred. 

<img src='content_image/534302.jpg'>

In August 2006, the flight crew of a commercial regional jet was cleared for takeoff on Runway 22 but mistakenly lined up and departed on Runway 26, a much shorter runway. As a result, the aircraft crashed off the end of the runway. 

## Causal Factors of Runway Confusion 

There are three major factors that increase the risk of runway confusion and can lead to a wrong runway departure: 

• Airport complexity 

• Close proximity of runway thresholds 

• Joint use of a runway as a taxiway 

Not only can airport complexity contribute to a runway incursion; it can also play a significant role in runway confusion. If you are operating at an unfamiliar airport and need assistance in executing the taxi clearance, do not hesitate to ask ATC for help. Always carry a current airport diagram and trace or highlight your taxi route to the departure runway prior to leaving the ramp. 

If you are operating from an airport with runway thresholds in close proximity to one another, exercise extreme caution when taxiing onto the runway. Figure 14-49  shows a perfect example of a taxiway leading to multiple runways that may cause confusion. If departing on Runway 36, ensure that you set your aircraft heading “bug” to 360°, and align your aircraft to the runway heading to avoid departing from the wrong runway. Before adding power, make one last instrument scan to ensure the aircraft heading and runway heading are aligned. Under certain circumstances, it may be necessary to use a runway as a taxiway. For example, during airport construction some taxiways may be closed requiring re­ routing of traffic onto runways. In other cases, departing traffic may be required to back taxi on the runway in order to utilize the full runway length. 

