ADDRESSING THE RISK OF RUNWAY EXCURSIONS

FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND COURSE DEVELOPED FOR G500/G600 AND G650 PILOTS

Runway incursion “near-miss” events make the evening news, but it is runway excursions that remain a top industry risk and often result in costly airframe damage. In 2022, FlightSafety International (FSI) began a series of studies to understand the nature of these events. Using the data from these studies, we developed specialized training, rooted in psychology, to improve a pilot’s “continue to land or go around” decision-making skills. The result: our exclusive Runway Excursion Prevention Simulator (REPS) training course, available for Gulfstream’s G500/G600 and G650.

Determining the Issue
Long-standing best practice for operations and policy require pilots to go around when an approach to landing is unstable. Pilots demonstrate their ability to perform this maneuver in initial training and during every recurrent training cycle. However, recurrent training sessions typically allow time for the pilots to practice the skill only once or twice each year.

Industry studies show pilots rarely decide to go around if the flight becomes unstable. Instead, they often continue to a risky landing. Data indicates this may be caused by the pilot being overly focused on the runway and not recognizing the flight path instability, or believing they can restabilize the approach before landing, or being uncomfortable with go-around maneuver due to infrequent use. Although landing from an unstable approach is normally successful, continuing an approach that has become unstable to touchdown greatly increases the risk of a runway excursion.

Gathering Data
To combat the tendency to continue to land when a flight has become unstable, FSI partnered with Presage Group, a company renowned for their expertise in understanding the psychosocial aspect of decision-making. In partnership with FSI, Presage developed an in-depth study to determine why, when, and how G500/G600 and G650 pilots make the decision to go around or continue to a landing.

With this information, FSI and the Presage Group formed working groups of active Gulfstream pilots to review and discuss the results. These dedicated professionals collaborated to create an enhanced approach stability best practice that pilots can use to improve their decision-making process. Their recommendations were validated and refined during extensive simulator focus sessions.

The Result
FSI’s REPS Training teaches these enhanced techniques to Gulfstream pilots, strengthening their ability to recognize approach instabilities, correct when possible, and consistently make safe and proper go-around or continue decisions.