The preliminary report was released for the Jan. 23 runway incursion at Daniel K. Inouye Airport (HNL) in Honolulu, Hawaii involving a Boeing 777 and Cessna 208B. According to the NTSB report, the Boeing was given a hold short instruction despite the plane not being allowed to perform land and hold short operations (LAHSO) on runway 4R, surprising the commanding officer and causing him to lose situational awareness as they exited the runway.
The United Airlines flight 384 in a Boeing 777-200 was crossing runway 4L as the Cessna 208B landed. The closest proximity between the aircraft was 1,173 feet. The NTSB conducted interviews with the crew, controllers, operations supervisor and air traffic manager, as well as obtained ATC and flight recorder data. On the day of the incursion, ongoing construction rendered runway 8L unavailable for landing traffic.
Photo of two planes involved in incursion from Flight Radar 24
The first officer of the Boeing crew indicated that before descent, they had briefed a planned approach as the RNAV to runway 8R. Landing data was retrieved for both runways 8R and 4R in case of any reassignment. She said she briefed the taxi to the gate and hotpot at taxiway K before descent in case they were given an approach to runway 4R. The hot spot stated that “aircraft landing runway 4R, and exiting left on taxiway K, sometimes fail to hold short of runway 4L and runway 8L.”
The first officer was flying initially and she had briefed the taxi to the gate and Honolulu Control Facility (HCF) directed them to proceed to the waypoint. HNL approach control told them to expect a visual approach to runway 4R and the flight crew advised them that they would plan on that approach and LAHSO was not an option for the plane. The Boeing checked in with the ATC group, indicating their distance from the waypoint and that they were planning on runway 4R, and were subsequently cleared to land.
While the 777 cleared for runway 4R, the pilot of the Cessna reported they were descending to 1,500 feet for landing on runway 4L. The crew was told that traffic was the Boeing 777 landing on 4R and the pilot noted they had the traffic in sight and were continuing to 4L and then parking on the north ramp.
In the Boeing, the first officer had landed the aircraft on runway 4R and slowed down to 35 knots, at which time she handed control over to the captain and he began the left turn onto taxiway K. The local controller instructed the Boeing to hold short of the runway, which the crew acknowledged. The captain said the instruction took him by surprise since they had previously told approach control they were unable to conduct LAHSO on runway 4R.
The pilot then lost situational awareness as they exited the runway and thought there was a greater distance between runways than there was. He was concerned about getting clear of the landing runway and “focused on clearing the hold short line between runway 4R and taxiway K.”
He also felt there did not seem to be enough room for the large, 210-foot-long Boeing to be fully clear of the runway 4L and still hold short of runway 4L. He then realized they were passing the runway 4R hold bars painted on the runway and were already on runway 8L and had crossed onto runway 4L. The Tower controller became aware of the incursion and told the Cessna pilots to hold short of runway 8L.
The Cessna pilot said in an interview that they normally exit at taxiway E, which is before runway 8L, and no evasive action was taken or required. The local controller instructed the 777 to cross runway 8L and contact ground control.
Flight Radar 24 photo
The NTSB, FAA, United Airlines, Boeing and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) have all been involved in the investigation. The digital flight data recorder was removed from the Boeing and sent to the NTSB’s Vehicle Recorder Laboratory and data is currently being analyzed. Interviews have been conducted and the investigation is still ongoing.
This incursion was the latest in a string of runway incursions across the country. These incursions have been highly publicized in the media, spawning criticism of the state of safety in air travel. The controversial occurrences have raised questions over the stability of the FAA, which has not had a permanent leader since FAA Administrator Steve Dickson stepped down over a year ago and Billy Nolen stepped in as FAA Acting Administrator.
Just in 2023, there have been numerous documented runway incursions. There was a close encounter on Jan. 13 between a 777 and 737 at John F. Kennedy International (JFK) when a plane crossed the runway without ATC clearance. This incident raised more concern when the crew for one of the aircraft refused a recorded interview and the NTSB issued subpoenas, to which the crew later agreed to comply.
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On Feb. 3 a parked plane had its wing clipped by a Boeing 787 Dreamliner arriving at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) and the tip of the wing ripped off. Fortunately, no passengers were on the plane when the incident occurred.
The next day a 767 and 737 had a close call at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) when the planes overlapped as the 767 landed and the 737 departed. The planes were less than 1000 feet apart and the 767 was forced to abort the landing.
Runway incursions are steadily increasing since 2011, after declining for many years before. There have been 547 total incursions documented by the FAA at the time of writing. This includes Q1 2023, which includes October through December 2022, and Q2 2023 which has totaled January and February and will eventually include the numbers for March.
Runway incursions categorize incidents by the amount of risk they pose and how close they are to a full collision. The runway incursions have been documented by radars and media across the country, at a time when the FAA is under scrutiny for the NOTAM failure and the ongoing debate about FAA reauthorization is ongoing. The Honolulu incursion is another close call and while still being investigated, it has been solidified as one of the many recent incidents that have made the public aware of how integral safety measures and maintaining a safe air space are to aviation and air travel.
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