FN FAL
Freight Dawgs Rule
- Joined
- Dec 17, 2003
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Once on the ground, the real battle to control the airplane began.
In slick or icy weather, the braking power on the first several thousand feet of a runway, where planes touch down, is generally the best due to tire compression against the pavement that keeps the surface de-iced and warm.
But stopping power and traction erode quickly by the middle of the runway and diminish even more at the opposite end, which most planes don't reach because they exit onto a taxiway, experts said.
"At that point, it's sort of like being on ice skates," said Gary Boettcher, president of the Coalition of Airline Pilots Associations, a trade group that represents Southwest pilots in Congress.
Boettcher, a 32-year veteran captain at American Airlines, said the FAA issues broad guidelines to airports about closing runways, and each airline has its own policy.
"At American Airlines, if we have a tailwind and braking action is less than good, we are prohibited from landing," he said.
Gary Kelly, chief executive officer at Southwest, said Flight 1248 "was cleared for landing, and all we can assume is that the runway was prepared for it. ... We let our flight crews make a determination as to the braking of the aircraft."