No time to waste on safety technology

"Stop, stop, stop!" the air traffic controller yells to a United Airlines Airbus A320 on the runway as a Delta Air Lines Boeing 757 attempts to land, coming within 230 feet of colliding.

The National Transportation Safety Board played that frightening audio of the July incident in Florida last week along with animation of the near-collision. They also showed a second animation of a near-collision in May at San Francisco International Airport.

It was part of the NTSB's annual board meeting, where it reviews its greatest concerns for transportation safety. Runway incursions are high on that list.

"It is time to do something before we have to investigate an accident that is catastrophic," NTSB Chairman Mark Rosenker said, as reported by CNN and other media.

The Federal Aviation Administration, meanwhile, reports that serious runway incursions were reduced by 25 percent in 2007 -- a good trend. But the NTSB says the FAA hasn't done enough. It calls for putting a system in place that will directly warn pilots of the potential for a runway accident.

"We've had this recommendation for a number of years -- too many number of years," Rosenker said.

Indeed, it's an annual plea and we believe it is one that needs to be seriously considered, as runway safety should be a top priority for all agencies involved.

At O'Hare International Airport, there has been just one "high-risk" near-collision this year, down from three last year. But when two jets come within 35 feet of each other, just one is still cause for alarm.

The FAA demonstrated its new ground radar equipment to the media on Friday. It helps air traffic controllers see planes as they navigate on the ground. Its installation was moved up after the rash of close calls in 2006.

That was a good move and one we laud. "We are turning the tide," FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory told Daily Herald transportation writer Joseph Ryan.

Indeed, the numbers are down. But we also want the FAA to move as quickly as possible on its tests to send audio warnings straight into the cockpit. That's what the NTSB believes will make a huge difference. We believe all warnings are helpful in ensuring safety in the skies and on the ground.

What we are concerned about is the same as the NTSB's Rosenker: "Explaining to the families (of victims in a runway accident) that technology is out there (but not installed) to prevent this thing from happening."