Cleared For What?

[Clark]

From my friend Tom Turner:

Are you really cleared? The National Transportation Safety Board is
investigating two runway incursions that occurred at Cleveland Hopkins
International Airport (CLE) in Cleveland, Ohio. NTSB reports:

The most recent occurred at 8:56 a.m. EDT on Friday, June 26, 2009.
Express Jet flight 2426, an E-145, was cleared by the tower
developmental controller to cross runway 24L at taxiway S in order to
depart from runway 24R. Approximately 19 seconds later, the same
controller cleared CommutAir flight 8717, a DH8, for takeoff on runway
24L. The Express Jet flight crew saw the departing airplane and
advised the tower controller they would not cross the runway.
CommutAir 8717 rotated about 1,500 feet from where Express Jet 2426
was positioned.

The incident is the second of its kind at CLE in three weeks. On June
3, 2009, at 3:15 p.m. EDT, a runway incursion occurred in which a
B-737 was cleared by a developmental controller to taxi into position
the same runway on which an E-145 was cleared and entering for take-
off. The E-145 crew
saw the B737 and queried the tower controller. The two flights came
within 500 feet of each other on runway 6L. This was the same
developmental controller involved in the June 26 incident.



It would be easy to dismiss this because the same developmental
controller was involved in both cases, but that’s irrelevant to the
FLYING LESSONS involved:

· Consider clearance onto (or across) a runway as clearance to
look to see if the way is clear, and move only if it is.

· Actively monitor ground and tower frequencies to develop a
mental image of where other airplanes are, and where you fit into the
flow.

· At nontowered airplanes your responsibility is even greater—
you don’t have the extra eyes of ATC helping out, and you have to
account for nonradio airplanes, pilots not reporting on the CTAF, and
frequency congestion that obscures some radio calls.



I teach my students to look, and confirm out loud, these things before
taxiing onto a runway:

1. The runway is clear

2. The approach is clear

3. We’re cleared to go



Be particularly cautious about taxi-into-position-and-hold clearances,
especially if you find yourself holding in position for a long period
of time. My interpretation is that “position and hold” does not exist
at nontowered airports—stay short of the hold-short line (or the
airport’s equivalent) until you’re ready to take off and you have
confirmed the runway and approach are clear.



Questions? Comments? Email me at mastery.fli...@cox.net

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