US’s most dangerous airports?

US air travelers don’t face their biggest risk of death or injury in the skies but on the ground. And now, after a post-9-11 lull, potentially life-threatening incidents are on the upswing again, writes Forbes.

Most fliers worry about crashing in flight even though only 74 commercial aircraft have crashed since 2001, despite more than 10 million flights annually.

But travelers face far more danger during takeoff or while landing, according to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) figures.

The figures for 452 airports were analyzed by Forbes.com editors who examined the size of the facility, the numbers of takeoffs and landings, and the severity of the incidents as categorized by the FAA.

Since 2001, 108 travelers have died in ground collisions involving commercial airlines. Many of the deaths occurred at highly congested airports.
Most, if not all of the incidents, could have been avoided if airports had the proper monitoring equipment in place.

FAA figures show hundreds more commercial jet aircraft have come within eight seconds of collision between 2001 and 2006, Forbes writes.

Analysts blame congestion, weather, poor runway design and pilot error. Many say the problem is getting worse.

Topping the list of the nation’s most dangerous airports are smaller fields relieving bigger congested hubs.

Two of the worst are in Nevada and California.

North Las Vegas, known as Northtown, had 63 runway incursions since 2001 resulting in six deaths. It is followed in the rankings by Long Beach/Dougherty Field, the scene of 78 incidents and no fatalities. In these cases, it was congestion and high flight volumes that led to the large numbers, said the report.

Charlotte, normally a safe airport, landed No. 3 on the list, a ranking earned because of a 2003 US Airways Express crash. A Raytheon commuter aircraft crashed into a hangar during takeoff, killing two crew members and 19 passengers. Poor maintenance was blamed.

Busy Los Angeles International reported 95 serious incidents or collisions since 2001, giving it a No. 5 ranking on the list. The nation’s fourth busiest airport had 128 runway incidents since 1997.

O’Hare International, the nation’s second busiest airport, ranked eighth, with 68 runway incursions between 2001 and 2006.

Since 2004, the FAA has spent $1 billion per year on modernizing the nation’s air traffic control network.

The FAA says it will cost $510 million to upgrade 38 major US airports. Some of that cost would presumably be passed onto passengers and airlines. Even if the system gets funded, however, it won’t be completed until 2011.

Report by David Wilkening