The crash of an airliner in Brazil this week brings back some points I've made before about airports with short runways in urban areas.
The Congonhas airport in Sao Paulo is apparently a notoriously difficult airport for pilots. It is in the middle of the city, and its longest runway is 6,300 feet, about the same as Burbank's longest runway and 500 feet longer than the runway usually used for landings in Burbank. The airplane crashed in bad weather, at night, hitting a building just beyond the airfield.
Scary comparison to the 2000 near-disaster at Burbank:
Urban airfield: check.
Runway under 6,400 feet: check.
Nighttime: check.
Heavy rain: check.
Gas station beyond end of runway: check.
Overhead views of Sao Paulo and Burbank. Quite similar, no?
Even more frightening, the Brazilian airport had been shut down due to its dangers (a court ordered it to reopen), and the runway was in the middle of a rennovation that left it without drainage grooves for rainfall.
The CNN article linked above points out that not only is there a move afoot to close the airport again, but some are calling for the installation of a soft cement system at the end of the runway to arrest runaway aircraft. Burbank has installed such a device, which has already been tested by the New York Yankees' Alex Rodriguez. (East Coast Bias alert! The CNN article notes that this system has prevented airplanes from skidding off runways at New York's JFK airport, and gives the dimensions of La Guardia's runway as a comparison. I humbly submit that Burbank provides better comparisons for both issues. But what do I know. I'm just a blogger, presumably typing away in my parents' basement while wearing pajamas.)
All of this, and I'm supposed to be flying out of Burbank next week on a business trip. Good thing I'm not afraid of flying.
Yet.
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1 comment:
In recent days these air crashing incidents are increasing,there is problem in communication system or pilots? its sad news in brazil..
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