Florida Department of

TRANSPORTATION

Aviation and Spaceports Office

New Runway Safety Feature at Ft. Lauderdale International Airport
by Vu Trinh C.

Ft. Lauderdale International Airport has recently installed a safety system that will stop or slow down out-of-control planes at the end of runways. Known as ENGINEERED MATERIALS ARRESTING SYSTEM (EMAS), the system consists of crushable concrete beds that essentially stop aircraft in the runway-overrun areas and prevent the aircraft from causing damage to the areas surrounding the runway. In addition, this safety feature is a way for airports to comply with FAA runway standards. Nationally, 12 airports have been approved to have the system installed.

The idea of crushable concrete beds was created and developed by the FAA soon after a DC-10 jetliner overran a runway at New York’s JFK in 1984 and plunged into the air and ended up in the frigid water. Luckily, none of the 177 passengers on board were seriously injured. Since then, the FAA has implemented a new safety rule, in which airports must have a 1,000 foot overrun area at the ends of runways.

Currently, more than 300 runway-ends at U.S. airports nationwide don’t meet the FAA’s 1,000 foot standard. Where practical, these airports are brought into compliance when they are rebuilt or undergo construction. In the mean time, or when compliance with the standard is impractical, EMAS is an FAA approved alternative.

According to Rebecca Mainardi, FDOT’s Aviation/Intermodal Program Manager in Ft. Lauderdale, Fort Lauderdale Airport has a 263-foot safety area on the west end of the main runway and 637 feet on the east end, with I-95 just off one end and the Florida East Coast railroad off the other end. It wasn’t possible for Fort Lauderdale Airport to meet the FAA’s 1,000 foot standard. As a result, “Installing EMAS is a perfect solution to prevent jets from careening into I-95 or the railroad,” she added.

The project at Ft. Lauderdale Airport was completed in 2004, according to project manager Trevor Fisher. The EMAS system was built as part of a larger runway renovation project. Two new beds of specially aerated, crushable concrete and foam blocks were constructed at the main runway. The $7 million beds are 376 feet long and 168 feet wide at the east end of the runway and a little smaller at the west end. They rise 7 to 21 inches from the ground -- just tall enough to increase resistance and slow a plane without shearing off its nose gear.

Actually, JFK was the first in the country to get the EMAS system in 1996. The incident in 1999 when an American Eagle twin-engine commuter plane that touched down too close to the end of the runway has proven the effectiveness of the EMAS system. In May, the same EMAS system halted a cargo plane. According to David Heild, regional director for Engineered Arresting Systems Corp., the company that created EMAS system, “It performed exactly how it was supposed to.” During the incident, the aircraft was successfully stopped by the EMAS. It chewed up 248 feet of the concrete bed, stopping about 150 feet short of the water. Among 27 passengers, only one was slightly hurt. The aircraft owner involved in an accident is responsible for the cost of repairing the arresting pad. Usually, only part of the pad must be replaced, and the process was just like “replacing tiles in your bathroom. You only replace the ones that are broken,” Heild added.

If installed correctly, the concrete beds can lasted up to 20 years. The maintenance for the system is considered very minimal. There are quite a few airports in Florida are affected by the FAA’s 1,000-foot standard and are grandfathered. Hopefully, more EMASS system will be taken place in our state to enhance our aviation safety system.

Flexible Response Program

The Aviation and Spaceports Office is implementing a "flexible response" approach by evaluating the capabilities of the participating airports to determine how they can best support the pavement inspection process. Based on the evaluation the airports will be placed in one of the following categories:

• Self Inspection, airports having adequate staff to conduct their own inspection.
• FDOT Assisted Inspection, airports capable of providing staff to assist in the inspection process to include performing inspections under FDOT supervision.
• FDOT Inspection, the entire inspection process is completed by FDOT or their designated representatives with minimum assistance provided by the airports.

The Aviation and Spaceports Office will provide training to educate the pavement inspectors to comprehend the structure of a layout sketch, locate sample units, and identify the different types of distresses, quantities, and severity used to calculate the PCI or other suitable alternatives points system.