US Federal Aviation Administration officials, at the prompting of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), are reviewing the collision risks at Minneapolis/St Paul airport’s runway 35, which opened in October 2005.
According to a 9 June ALPA bulletin, there is a risk of a mid-air collision when rejected landings on runway 35 occur simultaneously with departures from runways 30L and 30R.
“The risk is compounded if the departing aircraft is heavy or a [Boeing] 757 because of increased potential for wake turbulence from the departing aircraft,” ALPA adds.
The FAA says the agency has examined missed approaches and “[we] don’t feel there are any safety issues”. However, the agency has decided to perform a risk analysis based on ALPA’s concerns “just to be sure”, it adds.
Source: Flight International
