HILLSBORO, Ore. — The Hillsboro Airport leads the Pacific Northwest in runway incursions, which are close calls or safety risks on airport runways, according to Federal Aviation Administration data.
The FAA tracks and regulates runway incursions, calling them one of the agency's "highest safety priorities," making sure pilots don't enter or exit a runway at the wrong time.
"When that happens, there is a risk of collision with other aircraft that may be landing or departing on that runway, that could result in injury or fatalities," said Hassan Shahidi, the president and CEO of Flight Safety Foundation, a independent organization that advocates for aviation safety.
While most airports report a low number of runway incursions annually — Portland International Airport reported three over the past three years — the Hillsboro Airport (HIO) reported 30 runway incursions between February 2022 and February 2023.
"Anytime you see some of these numbers there should be concern," Shahidi said.
Most of the runway incursions at HIO were minor offences, receiving classifications of C or D.
These ratings signify there was enough time or distance to avoid a collision or there were "no immediate safety consequences" from the infractions.
One of the HIO runway infractions received a B classification for "significant" collision potential, as a pilot landed a plane and passed within 60 feet of another plane on the runway edge line.
The table below lists runway incursions provided in FAA data. Click/tap on the left and right arrows at the bottom to advance through the list.
"The standard is zero, we do not want any runway incursions occurring at these airports for any of these categories," Shahidi said. "Certainly airport complexity is a part of that root cause."
The FAA has had its eyes on HIO for a while, releasing a From the Flight Deck video in May 2022 that highlights the risks.
"The mix of pilot experience and aircraft capabilities makes HIO an interesting and challenging environment," says the woman narrating the video.
The FAA video describes how HIO's configuration of parallel and intersecting runways and a parallel taxiway can confuse new pilots.
It also references how HIO is a general aviation airport and training ground for new pilots taking flight school courses, something Shahidi said could play a role in a higher number of runway incursions.
"It is important for the airport and for the flight schools to really focus on this, make sure that their students are trained on this," he said.
The Port of Portland, which operates HIO, turned down KGW's interview requests for this story, as did flight schools at HIO.
An FAA spokesperson answered some of KGW's questions through statements, including saying runway incursions are more common at airports with flight training.
"HIO is not experiencing a high number of high-risk events," the FAA spokesperson said. "However, since the number of runway incursions is higher than some other airports, the runway safety office monitors the actions that the airport is taking and assists them when needed or requested."
Meanwhile, the FAA is paying close attention to an increase in runway incursions nationwide.
The agency held a safety summit in March after close calls at major airports, and it just announced $100 million for runway improvements at airports across the country as part of its runway incursion mitigation program.
Hillsboro Airport is not one of the airports receiving part of these federal funds.
The Hillsboro Airport did receive $7.26 million in federal funds in April to "address an important runway safety issue," according to Port of Portland Executive Director Curtis Robinhold.
“It has been a wakeup call," Shahidi said, referring to the increased attention on runway incursions and associated risks nationally. "They are serious and the aviation community and the FAA are coming together to put in solutions to eliminate them."
The FAA spokesperson said runway incursion "changes could include airport geometry, signage and markings, air traffic procedures, pilot training methods and anything else that will lead to safety enhancements."