The nation s air system is reaching a breaking point. Common sense and high-tech tips for surviving gridlock at airports. Here s what fliers have a right to demand. Although near misses occur in the air, a growing number happen on the ground. Jim Hall, chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, has called runway incursions the No. 1 safety problem facing U.S. aviation.
Many incidents involve service vehicles and are relatively minor.
Others, however, are far more serious. The two aircraft, carrying 382 people, averted each other by a mere 80 feet. Unfortunately, Providence airport has no ground radar, which would have helped the tower controller ascertain the position of the wayward aircraft. The NTSB has provided explanations and dramatic video simulations of these two incidents. Note that the video files are 2 to 6 megabytes, best downloaded with a high-speed Internet connection.