Runway incursions can result from a variety of human and procedural breakdowns involving pilots, air traffic controllers, ground vehicles, or airport personnel. According to FAA data collected between 2021 and 2024, the most common cause of runway incursions across all categories is pilot deviation, which accounts for 63% of all incidents. These typically involve pilots failing to follow air traffic control instructions, misinterpreting taxiway signage, or mistakenly entering an active runway. Other contributing factors include operational incidents — errors made by air traffic controllers — which represent 18% of all cases, and vehicle or pedestrian deviations (VPDs), which occur when ground vehicles or personnel mistakenly enter a runway area, accounting for 17% of cases.
However, when focusing only on the most serious incursions — those classified as Category A or B — these proportions change. Operational incidents, while less frequent overall, are responsible for 57% of these high-risk events. This suggests that while pilot errors are more common in general, air traffic control lapses tend to lead to more dangerous situations when they do occur. In contrast, pilot deviations account for just 30% of serious incursions, and VPDs account for 10%.
A New York Times investigation from August 2023 included confidential reports documenting an alarming number of near collisions, many never made public
In August 2023, the Times released a report digging into the recent alarming uptick in close calls happening between planes, both in the sky and on the tarmac, including why they happen and why the public often doesn’t know about them.
The report cited a lack of warning systems at airports coupled with a staffing shortage of air traffic controllers as some of the main contributing factors to these near-catastrophes that happen, on average, multiple times a week.
By analyzing a NASA database that contains confidential safety reports filed by pilots, air traffic controllers and other aviation professionals, the Times found the most recent 12-month period that had available data saw approximately 300 reports of close encounters.
The last fatal crash involving a major U.S. airline occurred in February 2009 when a Continental flight crashed into a house outside of Buffalo, N.Y. killing all 49 people on board. The lack of collisions between that event and Wednesday night marked the longest period of time without a fatal crash from a major U.S. airline.
OK. Yes traveling by air is still the safest mode. Seems though more spending on warning systems & hiring more air traffic controllers might help mitigate potentially dangerous occurrences.