Video: Animations of runway incursion at PVD, with ATC audio

A reader sent me a link to an animation of a runway incursion that had been posted to YouTube. When I went to YouTube to view the video, I also saw a listing for another animation of the same event. Both animations include audio of communications between ATC and the aircraft that were on the ground, but neither indicated when this incident took place.

A little homework on my part revealed that the animations were of a runway incursion that took place in 1999 at T.F. Green Airport (PVD), Providence, Rhode Island. Here is a brief overview of that runway incursion from the NTSB website, followed by the two YouTube videos.

From the NTSB Board Meeting of June 13, 2000:

On December 6, 1999, at about 8:35 p.m., United Airlines flight 1448, a Boeing 757, was involved in a runway incursion on runway 5 Right at Theodore Francis Green State Airport, near Providence, Rhode Island. At the time of the incident, it was dark and the reported visibility was one-quarter mile.

After United 1448 landed on runway 5 Right, the tower controller instructed the flight crew to proceed to the terminal using taxiways November and Tango, and report crossing runway 16.

During their taxi in the fog, the flight crew became disoriented and turned onto taxiway Bravo by mistake. They then provided incorrect position reports to the tower controller. The airplane ended up at the intersection of Runway 16 and Runway 23 left. Note that Runways 23 Left and 5 Right are opposite ends of the same runway.

Shortly afterward, a Federal Express aircraft taking off from runway 5 Right passed very close to United 1448. The subsequent conversation between the tower controller and United 1448 shows continued uncertainty about the aircraft's position. For example, there will be several references to Runway 23 right while the airplane is actually on 23 left.

Here's the link to the 'official' NTSB animation of this PVD runway incursion of December 6, 1999. (You will need to use a player on your computer to view it.)

Keeping in mind that the two videos below are 'unofficial' simulations of the event, they are still worth watching.



Thanks to YouTube user B737ngdriver for the above video. The video was posted to YouTube in May of this year. If it does not display or play properly above, click here to view it on YouTube.

The next video is a bit longer, and although the depiction of the aircraft types and livery are inaccurate, it illustrates the event from a different (simulated) vantage point than the video above.



Thanks to YouTube user magnetoz, who posted the video in July of this year. If it does not display or play properly above, click here to view the runway incursion video on YouTube.

And a tip of the hat to the reader who sent me the link to the first video by email.

Full deployment of systems such as Airport Surface Detection Equipment-X (ASDE-X) and Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast System (ADS-B) can not come soon enough!