Airbus technology prevents runway excursions
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Airbus is rolling out new technology that aims to prevent aircraft overshooting the runway.
Runway excursions, as they are known, are the most common cause of air accidents, accounting for 28% of total incidents in 2012, according to IATA.
But Airbus has now developed a new system known as ROPS (Runway Overrun Prevention System) that it claims will significantly reduce runway excursions. Initially rolled out for the A380, the system has now been certified for the more widely-used A320 aircraft.
The cockpit technology computes minimum landing and stopping distances for the aircraft, and compares them, in real time, to available landing distances. The analyses take into account factors such as runway topography and condition, aircraft weight and configuration, wind and temperature, to produce audio alerts for pilots. These will advise the pilot whether a landing is feasible or whether it should be aborted, prior to touchdown.
The system has now been certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for use on the A320.
“ROPS is the result of years of continuing research by Airbus,” said Yannick Malinge, the European planemaker’s senior vice president & chief product safety officer. “This initial EASA certification for ROPS on the A320 family is an important new step to offering the enhanced safety benefits across all our aircraft and for the industry.”
Airbus will now make ROPS available for new A320s, as well as a retrofit option for existing aircraft. It will also be developed on the new A320neo and A350 aircraft.
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