Wisconsin airports see 20 close calls per year

A man wanders onto a runway, moments before a plane is scheduled to land. The driver of an airport snow removal truck crosses a runway in front of an incoming plane. A dump truck comes within roughly 20 yards of colliding with a departing plane.

Federal Aviation Administration data shows there have been dozens of close calls on runways at Wisconsin airports since October 2001. Since that time, pilots have averted disaster 272 times at 12 of the state's airports, an average of about 20 times each year. The causes range from pilot miscues to flawed communication with air traffic control to errant vehicles driving down a runway.

Wisconsin's busiest airport — General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee — reported the most incidents statewide since October 2001, with 114. That number is the second highest in the Midwest, behind only Chicago's O'Hare airport, which had 205.

A runway close call — or an incursion, as they are referred to in the aviation world — is usually benign; for example, when a pilot edges the nose of his plane over a 'stop line,' akin to going a little too far when approaching a stop sign on the road.

Some close calls on Wisconsin's runways are much more serious.

On July 24, 2011, near Appleton, a 37-passenger commercial jet nearly collided with a single-engine aircraft after the pilots of both planes were given clearance to land on intersecting runways at Outagamie County Regional Airport. The pilot of the larger plane slammed on the brakes, coming to a halt less than 20 feet from the intersection — just as the smaller plane cruised past.

Appleton reported 19 runway incursions since October 2001 — more than twice that of Austin Straubel International Airport near Green Bay, despite having nearly 30 percent fewer flights each year. Appleton is one of six Wisconsin airports with a "hotspot," an area with a "history of potential risk of collision or runway incursion," according to the FAA website.

Having an identified hotspot might not be a bad thing, said Outagamie County Regional Airport manager Abe Weber, because calling attention to potential risks can mean pilots and communications crews pay closer attention, ultimately improving safety.

Weber, who took over leadership of the airport in October 2013, said Appleton has passed its annual safety inspections for the past six years with "zero discrepancies" and worked to significantly streamline communications processes over the past two years.

"We pride ourselves on our safety record," Weber said. "The FAA, too, has made safety a higher priority, and we comply with all their rules and recommendations to make this airport as safe as possible."

Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh has reported 24 incursions since late 2001. Most happened during or close to weeks in which the annual Experimental Aircraft Association convention is held — an event that dramatically increases air traffic at the site, said Peter Moll, manager of the Oshkosh facility.

"During EAA, our whole airport changes," Moll said. "As a result of EAA operations, there an be some confusion, sometimes by volunteers who may not understand where they can and cannot go. That can lead to problems. But we work very closely with EAA volunteers every year to try to minimize that."

At Austin Straubel International Airport, manager Tom Miller said employees undergo mandatory annual training that includes incursion prevention strategies. Eight of the airport's nine incursions reported since 2001 involved vehicles or pedestrians, according to aviation reports.

"We just keep pounding it into the heads of all our employees, especially those riding in vehicles." Miller said. "Be aware of where you are, notify control when you need to, and understand this is not just dangerous to the airplane — its dangerous to you."

In Marathon County, Central Wisconsin Airport in Mosinee reported two runaway close calls since late 2001. On Sept. 20, 2007, a 50-passenger commercial jet was cleared for takeoff on a closed runway and flew over airport workers and equipment, missing them by about 500 feet, according to the FAA report.

Airport officials say training and prevention practices are working, and incursions have decreased in the past year. In 2013, 15 incursions were reported at Wisconsin airports compared to six for the first 10 months of 2014.

So far in 2014, for example, the Milwaukee airport hasn't had a single incursion. Timothy Karaskiewicz, general counsel at Mitchell International, said airport officials worked closely with the FAA to enhance safety following a sharp spike in both national and regional incidents in late 2004 and early 2005.

Most of the time, passengers aboard an aircraft involved in an incursion are completely unaware when a potential crisis is averted, officials say.

"The only way you might know is if you find yourself circling when you were about to land," said Moll of Oshkosh."That might happen if a plane that landed ahead of you didn't get off the runway fast enough, for example. Usually, you probably wouldn't even know."

Shereen Siewert: 715-845-0773 or ssiewert@gannett.com. On Twitter as @ShereenSiewert.

WISCONSIN RUNWAY INCURSIONS

These figures represent the number of runway incursions, or all surface incidents reported to the Federal Aviation Administration by air traffic control towers, between October 2001 and September 2014.

•General Mitchell International Airport, Milwaukee: 114

•Dane County Regional, Madison: 54

•Wittman Regional, Oshkosh: 24

•Outagamie County Regional, Appleton: 19

•Waukesha County: 15

•Kenosha Regional: 12

•Austin Straubel International, Green Bay: 9

•Southern Wisconsin Regional, Janesville: 8

•Chippewa Valley Regional, Eau Claire: 7

•LaCrosse Municipal: 5

•Lawrence J. Timmerman Airport, Milwaukee: 3

•Central Wisconsin Airport, Mosinee: 2

•Total: 272

Source: Federal Aviation Administration reports provided by USA Today

NEAR MISSES AT AREA AIRPORTS

Since 2001, 272 incursions have been reported at Wisconsin airports. Some of the details:

June 2, 2008 in Green Bay: A dump truck mistook a runway for a road leading to a construction site and was driving on a runway while a twin-engine plane was taking off. The plane missed the truck by about 60 feet.

July 24, 2011 in Oshkosh: Two small aircraft landing in close proximity to one another collided on the runway when one of the pilots appeared to lock his brakes. No one was injured.

Jan. 3, 2003 in Madison: A twin-engine plane awaiting takeoff came within 75 feet of colliding with an 80-passenger American Eagle flight after the pilot of the smaller plane failed to stop as instructed.

March 11, 2012 in Milwaukee: The pilot of a charter jet narrowly missed striking an incoming plane with he turned down the wrong runway.

Source: Federal Aviation Administration reports provided by USA Today