The World's Dangerous Airports
Perilous Aerodromes Create unavoidable Hazards
According to the article Crash of Tam 3054, the tragic events that unfolded in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Tuesday July 17, 2007 were avoidable while inevitable.
The Hidden Problem
In this article there are things not talked about in the airline industry, passenger associations or government agencies. If you travel to a large metropolitan airport, anywhere in the world, and that airport only has domestic or short haul international airline traffic when long haul international traffic flows to that same metropolitan area: it is probably an airport fitting the description in Crash of TAM Flight 3054. Basically; if you do not see large wide-body aircraft (Boeing B747, B777, Airbus A-340, A-330 or Douglas MD-11s) it is probably an old airport that has problems described in "Airport's Treacherous Problems."
Cosmetics and Safety
Over the last 35 years there have been numerous airports that changed their face. Nice shinny new terminals like in New York and Washington DC; fantastic new roads and arteries connecting the airports and tens of new airlines starting up using these facilities. The problem is none of these cosmetic changes have done anything revolutionary to the airport to make it safer. The most important thing for a pilot is the runway. Not the terminal, roads or ticket counters, it is that piece of concrete on which they land.
Sure the terminals can make it easier for passengers and concession operators. Roads and parking make it easier for travelers and city officials. Increased airlines make it extremely beneficial for everyone from the consumer, taxpayer to the government; however, that is not important when you consider “price,” “inconvenience” or “death.” Not to minimize positive airport improvements like distance markers, stop-ways and progressive lighting systems; the real needs, are once again the runways.
Age & Location hinder Safety
Most of the airports in question (and many more around the country) are old airports, designed and opened 70-80 years ago. They were the main airports when a large airplane was a 32 seat (25,000 pound) DC-3 that had an average landing speed (Vref) of 65 knots (74 mph) and a fantastically, long runway was anything over 3000 feet and not made of grass. Those airports were not made for the modern, highly computerized Airbus 320 or Boeing 737 family of aircraft that fly into these same airports today. These new midsized airliners carry from 180-220 passengers, weigh as much as 206,000 pounds (or 41 Asian elephants), normally land at 140 knots (161 mph) and consider any runway under 8,000 feet as “too short.”
These are the problems that cause too many unnecessary accidents like those in Brazil. Inspect the difference yourself with a sampling of airports in Airport's Treacherous Problems. If runway length were not so vitally important, why is there such a dramatic difference in the length of runways at newer airports?
Read More Aviation Facts
Airport's Treacherous Problems
Garuda Flight GA-200 and Windshear
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