1). 2). By contrast, no complete data are collected for incidents in  ramp areas. FAA Has Taken Actions to Reduce Risk in the Terminal Area

		Procedural and Technological Changes to Improve Runway Safety

FAA has taken several steps since 2007 to further improve surface safety  at airports, focusing most notably on efforts to reduce the number and  severity of runway incursions—the agency’s key performance measures  for this area. The first proposed rule,  issued in October 2010, would require airports to establish safety  management systems for ramps areas, as well as other parts of the  airfield, including runways and taxiways. Data Collection and Risk- Based Analysis of Airborne Aviation Safety Information

Controllers are required to report any occurrence that may be an operational deviation,  operational error, proximity event, or air traffic incident if the reported issue is known only  to the employee and occurs while the employee is directly providing air traffic services to  aircraft or vehicles or first level watch supervision. As a result, they said the agency will be  better equipped to identify systemic issues in air traffic safety and to issue  related corrective action requests. Reported Surface and Airborne Incidents Have Increased, and Several Key Factors Likely Contribute to Trends

		Rate of Reported Runway Incursions Has Increased since 2004, but Serious Incidents Have Significantly Declined

In fiscal years 2009 and 2010, the agency met its interim goals toward  reducing the total number of runway incursions at towered airports, but  the rate of incursions per million operations continued to increase (see   fig. 11). Rate and Number of Reported Airborne Operational Errors Increased since 2007, Including the Most Serious Incidents

The rate of reported airborne operational errors in the terminal area  increased considerably in recent years. From the second quarter of fiscal  year 2008 to the second quarter of fiscal year 2011, the rate and number  of reported airborne operational errors increased significantly. Changes to reporting processes and policies at FAA may explain in part  the recent upward trend in reported runway incursions and airborne  operational errors. Enhanced Oversight and Additional Information about Incidents Could Help Improve Safety in the Terminal Area

FAA has taken steps to improve safety in the terminal area since 2007  and has both reduced the number of serious incursions and undertaken  successful efforts to increase reporting of incidents, but we identified two  areas in which FAA could further improve management of data and  technology in order to take a more proactive, systemic approach to  improving terminal area safety. FAA Data for Risk Assessment May Not Be Complete, Meaningful, or Available to Decision Makers

			Impact of Changes in Reporting Policies and Processes on Measures of Incidents and Risk Is Unclear

Multiple changes to reporting policies and processes in recent years make  it difficult to know the extent to which the recent increases in some terminal  area incidents are due to more accurate reporting or an increase in the  occurrence of safety incidents or both. Recommendations for Executive Action

To enhance oversight of terminal area safety to include the range of  incidents that pose risks to aircraft and passengers, we recommend that  the Secretary of Transportation direct the FAA Administrator to take the  following three actions:    develop and implement plans to track and assess runway excursions  and extend oversight to ramp safety;    develop separate risk-based assessment processes, measures, and  performance goals for runway safety incidents (including both  incursions and excursions) involving commercial aircraft and general  aviation and expand the existing risk-based process for assessing  airborne losses of separation to include incidents beyond those that  occur between two or more radar-tracked aircraft; and    develop plans to ensure that information about terminal area safety  incidents, causes, and risk assessment is meaningful, complete, and  available to appropriate decision makers. The Department of Transportation  agreed to consider our recommendations and provided clarifying  information about efforts made to improve runway safety, which we  incorporated. To do so, we addressed the following  questions: (1) What actions has the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)  taken to improve safety in the terminal area since 2007? To identify actions FAA has taken since 2007 to improve safety in the  terminal area and to identify additional actions FAA could take to improve  safety, we reviewed our prior reports, as well as documents and reports  from FAA, the Department of Transportation Inspector General (IG), the  National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the International Civil  Aviation Organization (ICAO), and others; FAA orders, advisory circulars,  and regulations; and applicable laws. To identify and describe recent trends in terminal area safety and the  factors contributing to these trends, we obtained and analyzed data from  FAA, NTSB, and OSHA on safety incidents in the terminal area.
Why GAO Did This Study

Takeoffs, landings, and movement around the surface areas of airports (the terminal area) are critical to the safe and efficient movement of air traffic. The nation's aviation system is arguably the safest in the world, but close calls involving aircraft or other vehicles at or near airports are common, occurring almost daily. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) provides oversight of the terminal area and has taken action to improve safety, but has been called upon by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and others to take additional steps to improve its oversight. As requested, this report addresses (1) recent actions FAA has taken to improve safety in the terminal area, (2) recent trends in terminal area safety and factors contributing to those trends, and (3) any additional actions FAA could take to improve safety in the terminal area. To address these issues, GAO analyzed data from FAA data; reviewed reports and FAA documents; and interviewed federal and industry officials.

What GAO Found

Since 2007, FAA has taken several steps to further improve safety at and around airports, including implementing procedural and technological changes to improve runway safety, proposing a rule that would require airports to establish risk-management plans that include the ramp areas where aircraft are serviced, collecting more data on safety incidents, and shifting toward risk-based analysis of airborne aviation safety information. Several of these initiatives are intended to better identify systemic issues in air traffic safety. Rates of reported safety incidents in the terminal area continue to increase. FAA met its interim goals toward reducing the total number of runway incursions--the unauthorized presence of an airplane, vehicle, or person on the runway--in 2009 and 2010, but the overall rate of incursions at towered airports has trended steadily upward. In fiscal year 2004, there were 11 incursions per million operations at these airports; by fiscal year 2010, the rate increased to 18 incursions per million operations. The rate and number of airborne operational errors--errors made by air traffic controllers--have increased considerably in recent years, with the rate nearly doubling from the second quarter of fiscal 2008 to the same period of 2011. FAA has not met its related performance goals. Comprehensive data are not available for some safety incidents, including runway overruns or incidents in ramp areas. Recent increases in reported runway incursions and airborne operational errors can be somewhat attributed to several changes in reporting policies and procedures at FAA; however, trends may also indicate an increase in the actual occurrence of incidents. Enhanced oversight and additional information about surface and airborne incidents could help improve safety in the terminal area. FAA oversight in the terminal area is currently limited to certain types of incidents, notably runway incursions and certain airborne incidents, and does not include runway overruns or incidents in ramp areas. In addition, the agency lacks data collection processes, risk-based metrics, and assessment frameworks for analyzing other safety incidents such as runway overruns, incidents in ramp areas, or a wider range of airborne errors. Further, changes to reporting processes and procedures make it difficult to assess safety trends, and existing data may not be readily available to decision makers, including those at the regional and local levels. As a result, FAA may have difficulty assessing recent trends in safety incidents, the risks posed to aircraft or passengers in the terminal area, and the impact of the agency's efforts to improve safety.

What GAO Recommends

GAO recommends that FAA (1) extend oversight of terminal area safety to include runway overruns and ramp areas, (2) develop risk-based measures for runway safety incidents, and (3) improve information sharing about incidents. The Department of Transportation agreed to consider the recommendations and provided clarifying information about efforts made to improve runway safety, which GAO incorporated.