WASHINGTON – Federal safety investigators are urging aviation officials to overhaul their methods for evaluating runway safety during storm conditions, warning of increased dangers when aircraft attempt to land on water-soaked surfaces.
The National Transportation Safety Board issued the safety recommendations Tuesday following their analysis of 11 separate incidents where planes skidded beyond runway boundaries between 2008 and 2022, all involving landings on rain-soaked pavement.
Safety investigators specifically highlighted a 2019 incident involving a Boeing 737 that overran the runway in Jacksonville, Florida, which they attributed partly to “an extreme loss of braking friction due to heavy rain and the water depth on the ungrooved runway, which resulted in viscous hydroplaning.”
