http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/081604 dnmetrunways.2343f.html =20 They want to reduce the chance of rare runway collisions occurring Passengers often don't even notice the close calls.=20 An MD-80 jet is cleared for takeoff when a smaller, regional plane crosses its path less than a mile down the runway. The smaller jet, which has just landed, is using the wrong taxiway on the way to the gate. Dozens of lives could be at stake, but the pilot of the bigger plane aborts his takeoff.=20 D/FW, the nation's third-busiest airport, had six of these so-called "runway incursions" last year, according to data from the Federal Aviation Administration. An incursion is any event that creates a collision hazard for an aircraft or results in two planes coming too close together while taking off or landing.=20 While such incidents are relatively rare at D/FW and at all airports - about one in 192,000 takeoffs and landings nationally - each one has the potential to become a deadly collision if the pilots and air traffic controllers don't notice them and act quickly enough.=20 To reduce hazards, D/FW is exploring a plan to redesign the airport's runways so that planes landing during peak times could avoid crossing any runways while taxiing to their gates.=20 The airport's figures for fiscal year 2003 were comparable to those of other major airports and very rare when considering that each has hundreds of thousands of runway crossings a year, said Paul Erway, runway safety program manager for the FAA's southwest region.=20 "It's like the difference between being struck by lightning or being eaten by a bear," he said. "We're talking about extremely rare events. I don't want people to worry every time they get into an aircraft. And we're going to make them even more rare."=20 The nation's busiest airport, Chicago's O'Hare International, had seven incursions, while the second-busiest, Atlanta's Hartsfield Jackson International Airport, had six. George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston had none.=20 Of the 75 U.S. airports that the FAA studied over the last four years, D/FW was 11th in runway incursions. Dallas Love Field was not included in the report.=20 "A lot of it depends on the design of the airport," said Allen Parra, D/FW's vice president for airport operations. "It's the layout of the runways and taxiways."=20 D/FW went 16 months without an incursion in 2001 and 2002. At the time, officials credited runway safety meetings, a map of dangerous hot spots and safety training for airline mechanics.=20 Since then, the airport began placing bumper stickers that read "I Brake for Runways" on the back of construction vehicles and fire trucks.=20 Officials are also in the early stages of a plan to build "perimeter taxiways" around the runways. The reconfiguration is expected to cut radio traffic between pilots and controllers, the number of incursions and the time that passengers must sit on planes while taxiing to their gate.=20 "Virtually, it would eliminate runway crossings during peak periods," Mr. Parra said.=20 Last year, the airport completed a video simulation of how the perimeter taxiways would work, and it's now undergoing an initial design phase to determine how much construction might cost.=20 Construction could begin as early as the end of 2007, Mr. Parra said.=20 The rate of runway incursions has fallen nationwide since 2000 but has remained steady for the last three years, according to the FAA.=20 At D/FW, which has about 810,000 takeoffs and landings a year, the rate is one in 135,000. The six incidents in fiscal year 2003 were all resolved before any collision could occur and early enough to prevent those involved from having to make drastic moves to avoid crashing.=20 Three of the incursions were attributed to air traffic controller errors, two to pilot errors and one to a vehicle entering a runway without authorization.=20 "It appears to be a human error problem by either pilots or controllers or people driving on the runways," Mr. Erway said. "In general, the errors that are made in the runway incursion business are a breakdown in communication or a loss in situational awareness."=20 =20