"Planes mistakenly land on new Miami airport runway -- before it opens"

Wednesday, August 20, 2003 

Planes mistakenly land on new Miami airport runway -- before it opens
By Ken Kaye
The Fort Lauderdale (FL) Sun Sentinel


Miami International Airport plans to open a new 8,600-foot runway on Sept.
4, but pilots already are lining up to land on it now, sometimes two or
three times a day.

The reason: Pilots cleared to land on the main east-west runway are
confusing it with the new one, which runs parallel and is only 800 feet to
the north.

"A pilot turns onto final approach and sees those two runways so close
together, and it's confusing," said Jim Marinitti, of the National Air
Traffic Controllers Association, on Tuesday.

Air traffic controllers, who can see a plane aiming toward the wrong runway
on radar or with binoculars, must alert pilots to zigzag to the correct one.

Because planes make that adjustment miles from the runway with plenty of
altitude, no pilots have actually landed on the new runway and there have
been no safety concerns, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

"It happens mostly because the new runway is not on the charts yet and
pilots haven't been briefed," said Rick Day, air traffic division manager
for the FAA's southern region.

However, the air traffic controllers' union says there are "serious safety
concerns" because pilots sometimes turn toward the correct runway low to the
ground. Also, a plane could veer into the path of another aircraft while
it's maneuvering, Marinitti said.

The union says the airport's overall runway numbering system is confusing.

Currently, the new runway is designated as Runway 8 and the main runway is
labeled 9-Left, that is, for pilots approaching from the west. Runways are
numbered based on their compass direction.

The union contends both runways should have the same basic root number: 8.

However, because an approaching pilot would see the new runway being to his
left, it should be labeled as 8-Left, the union says. The main runway should
then be called 8-Right.

Meanwhile, the runway on the south side of the airfield would remain Runway
9-27, making it easy to identify, Marinitti said.

As a second option, the union would prefer the airport's three parallel
runways have the root number of 9, and then be distinguished as 9-Left,
9-Center or 9-Right.

To keep pilots from landing on the new runway, the airport has painted big
yellow X's on it as well as placed a lighted X. Pilots also are warned when
they listen to a radio recording they tune into before landing.

"We took basically every precaution to keep someone off that runway, and yet
we still had numerous aircraft try to land on it," Marinitti said. "Over the
past weekend, we had an American Airlines jet, a Learjet and a Piper
Cherokee all line up for the wrong runway."

Marinitti said for the past few months, ever since the new runway has been
clearly visible from the air, it has lured two to three pilots per day.

Airport officials say there shouldn't be confusion because the 10,500-foot
main runway has an instrument landing system, which provides a precise beam
to its approach end.

The FAA says it has discussed labeling the new runway as 8-26 since 1994,
when it was first being planned. Day said air traffic managers, the airlines
and the Miami-Dade Aviation Department agreed on the 8-26 designation.

"The idea was to eliminate the potential for miscommunication or confusion
between those closely placed parallel runways," he said.

Marinitti said the union never agreed to the 8-26 designation and alerted
the FAA to its concerns in February 2002. It reiterated its concerns in a
letter sent this week to the FAA.

Day said, "We take their concerns seriously, but we've done our due
diligence and that is how we intend to operate that runway."

The new runway's number is the second major flap between the FAA and union
at Miami International.

The union balked while the cab of the new control tower was under
construction, saying four thick supports hampered controllers' views of
runways, taxiways other parts of the airport.

The union won a major victory when the FAA agreed to rebuild the cab at a
cost of $5 million. The 33-story tower opened in December.

The new $121.4 million runway is to be used primarily for arrivals, the FAA
said. When it becomes operational in September, it will allow the airport to
increase its capacity by about 25 percent, said Kathleen Bergen, FAA
spokeswoman.


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