Los Angeles International Airport and 10 other major flight centers in the United States might not be able to meet a 2015 deadline for federal runway safety standards sought by Congress to reduce the risk of aircraft accidents, according to a new government study.
The report released this month by the inspector general's office for the U.S. Department of Transportation takes issue with the two northern runways at LAX, which have safety zones -- buffer areas of open land -- that are smaller than what federal regulations have required for airports since 1988.
Other airports must create safety areas that comply with the federal standards where feasible or develop alternatives such as collapsible pavement around runways. After several accidents related to inadequate safety areas, Congress in 2005 set a deadline of 2015 for compliance.
Nancy Castles, a spokeswoman for Los Angeles World Airports, said the agency has been working with the Federal Aviation Administration to address concerns about runway safety areas at LAX, including a current study to evaluate options and develop recommendations.
Safety areas must support the weight of commercial aircraft and measure 1,000 feet long by 500 feet wide at each end of a runway. In addition, a 250-foot buffer, measured from the runway's centerline, is required for each side. The rectangular zones give landing and departing aircraft a safety margin to reduce the risk of an accident from undershooting, overrunning or veering off a runway.
The report stated that during the last 10 years, 75 aircraft in the U.S. overran or veered off runways, killing 12 people and injuring about 200. Some of the accidents were caused or worsened by inadequate safety buffers.
Though there have been two serious crashes on LAX's north side since 1978, they were not blamed on inadequate safety zones. But in one of the incidents, the left landing gear of a Continental Airlines jet broke through weak tarmac and failed after the aircraft ran off the end of a runway while aborting a takeoff. The collapsing gear started a fire onboard.
Federal officials said LAX and the other airports probably will not make the required improvements by 2015. They noted that improving safety areas can take as long as 12 years, depending on the complexity of the project, community opposition and environmental reviews.
