FAA looks to require cockpit technology to reduce close calls

The move follows a series of close calls involving commercial planes this year.

September 8, 2023, 2:36 PM

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is looking to reduce close calls by requiring planes be equipped with technology that will alert pilots if they're landing on an incorrect runway.

The agency wrote to a committee of aviation experts Friday, asking them to provide recommendations on how to implement the tech, saying, "One serious close call is one too many, and we must act now and consider everything to get us closer to our goal."

PHOTO: In an undated stock photo, the landing gear of an airplane is shown during touchdown.
In an undated stock photo, the landing gear of an airplane is shown during touchdown.
STOCK PHOTO/Getty Images

The technology would alert flight crews when the aircraft is aligned with a surface that is not a runway, when the aircraft is aligned with the incorrect runway, and when a runway is too short for the aircraft to land on it, the agency said.

While not yet a requirement, some commercial planes are already equipped with the technology.

The move comes following a series of concerning close calls involving commercial planes this year.

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