Runway inspection

We were taught how to perform a landing area inspection as part of the exercise called "Precautionary Approaches and Off Airport Procedures". Most instructors and flight examiners teach and test off airport procedures. This emphasis seems to lead pilots to believe that precautionary approach procedures are not necessary at airports. As well, very few pilots are taught when and how to perform a runway inspection before takeoff.

A PA31 Piper Navajo touched down on a fishing lodge strip and began decelerating. The left main gear then entered a rut and collapsed. The aircraft came to a stop with the left wing tip resting on the ground.

The 2,000-ft strip has a gravel and mud surface with some grass sprouting at intervals along it. Except for the longer grass surrounding it, there are no markings to indicate the outline of the runway. The surface is generally flat in the centre, but is rutted near the ends of the runway and along the sides.

The left main gear of a Cessna 210 struck a snowbank almost immediately after touching down. The aircraft veered left, contacted the snowbank with the nose wheel, and nosed over. The runway had been plowed during the night, but the entire width of the runway was not cleared and the cleared portion was off centre.

A pilot in a Cessna 172 returned for landing after a local flight. He did not notice that snow had drifted back onto the cleared portion of the runway. On landing, the right main gear encountered some drifted snow, the aircraft veered right, and the left wing struck a snowbank.

Another Cessna 172 with an instructor and a student on board flew over the airport at 1,000 ft. They failed to notice from that altitude that snowplows had left a ridge across the runway they intended to land on. They performed a touch-and-go, during which they saw the ridge too late to prevent damage to the nose gear as they became airborne. They returned to their home airport and landed, which resulted in a collapsed nose gear.

The first three accidents are prime examples of when a runway inspection should have been done, and wasn’t. The last accident could have been prevented if a low-level inspection had been performed.

There are cases every year where debris is left on or near runways by construction crews. Any grass or dirt strip can get very soft after a heavy rain. Remote strips may have animals on, or near, the runway. All are good reasons for a runway inspection.

Any time you are not absolutely positive of the condition of a runway or landing area surface, you should do a precautionary approach and runway inspection. A high pass at 800 to 1,000 ft will give you an initial idea of the condition of the landing surface. A low pass at 300 to 400 ft is required to adequately determine if the surface is suitable.

A low inspection pass below 300 ft will require so much concentration just to fly the aircraft, that the visual inspection will be sacrificed. Some pilots appear to feel that once they have committed the time to inspect a field, they are committed to land at that field. However, the inspection gives them a choice. If there is any doubt about the field condition after the low pass, go away. It will probably look even worse at ground level.

A Cessna 414 collided with a bank of drifted snow during a night takeoff. The aircraft veered off the runway and was substantially damaged.

A Cessna 172 pilot realized too late that he wasn’t going to become airborne before the end of the runway and aborted the takeoff. The aircraft overran the runway, struck a snowdrift and overturned. The runway surface was muddy from recently melted snow.

The pilot of an Aero Commander 100 was taking off from a 2,600-ft grass runway and felt he wasn’t accelerating to a safe speed. He rejected the takeoff, but overran the end of the strip and struck some mounds of hard soil. The nose wheel failed and the gas filter struck the ground and shattered. The post-crash fire destroyed the aircraft. The pilot had used this strip on other occasions.

A C-182 pilot walked the first half of the grass strip to determine the surface conditions. He decided it was safe for takeoff. Half way down the runway, he realized the aircraft was not accelerating adequately and he aborted the takeoff. The pilot decided to try again from a rolling start. A few hundred feet from the departure end of the runway he decided to abort a second time. This time, the aircraft ran off the end of the runway, through a cedar fence and ended up in a ditch. If the pilot had inspected the entire runway, he would have seen the second half was much softer than the first half.

There are many occasions when a runway should be inspected before takeoff.

The above accidents highlight only a few.

Even hard surface runways occasionally require inspection before takeoff. If any snow has fallen and not yet been cleared, or if it is possible that snow has drifted, inspect the surface. Even if snow has been cleared, it may be prudent to inspect the runway.

Construction on, or near, uncontrolled airports can result in unexpected hazards. At one airport in B.C., it is wise to drive or taxi up and down the runway a few times before takeoff near dawn or dusk to flush the geese from the grass beside the runway.

Many rural airports receive less than first class maintenance. There are some paved runways that may be bare and dry, but the asphalt is breaking up. Parts of the runway may be closed, but the painted Xs have faded into obscurity.

Many airports are not secure. Some have been used as drag strips, campgrounds and lovers lanes.

Most of us will never land off airport. Most of us will, however, land at airports and grass or dirt strips where we should inspect the runway before landing or takeoff. Some of us won’t do the inspection and will appear as the subjects of this column.