Page 6 - Index

Figure 2. The image tracks the accurate path of a fire truck.

plane, of the same operator, approached landed at the destination airport), our
the hold for the intersection. For reasons team had put together a synopsis of the
that were the subject of the ensuing event. While this exercise was intended
investigation, the airplane waiting at to sooth my ruffled brow, the data could
the intersection hold moved past the equally be of use to an investigator at an
hold line toward the runway as the airport when trying to establish what
other airplane started its takeoff roll. A occurred in an incident on the ground.
high-speed abort followed; and having It need not be an event between two
been able to see that the other started aircraft as more and more airports—not
to move onto the runway, I adopted the only those with a surface movement
brace position waiting for what I thought guidance and control system—have
would be an inevitable collision. In the transponders added to vehicles that are
end, the airplanes passed each other permitted to move in the maneuvering
without contact. A sidenote: Except for area. The location of vehicles and aircraft
my traveling companion, all the other can be established with reasonable
passengers were oblivious to the reason accuracy, and this may be a useful aid
for the sudden stop on the runway. It to incident investigation. Making use of
may be true that a little knowledge is a ADS-B data means that, as an airport,
dangerous thing. you are not reliant on third parties for
The airport was equally uninformed. information on the location and move-
Which exit, which aircraft, how close ment of the incident vehicles.
was the contact, who said what and to
whom? All of these are questions that Examples of ADS-B Data in Use
the airport had limited or no answers The accompanying images are taken
to. A quick call to the air data team at from actual datasets at airports where
To70 postincident meant that, from we collect data.
public data sources, most of the ques- The loop-shaped movement on the
tions could be answered. The ground runway in Figure 1 (see page 5) is a single
track and the speeds of the two airplanes event. This illustrates how detailed the
came from the automatic dependent data can be. Let us assume that the driv-
surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) antenna er had cause to drive like this. The image
that we maintain at several of our client could be used to assist in interviews—a
airports. The radio communications memory aid to the discussion or to con-
between the flight crew and air traffic firm the vehicle’s movements.
control came from open-source websites Figures 2 and 3 show the path of a
that redistribute aviation radio commu- fire vehicle. The tracks in Figure 2 show
nications. Communications from inside that the vehicle does not follow the hard
the flight decks of the two aircraft were surface but cuts across the grass; there is
not available. data validation required here to con-
Within an hour (and before I had firm that the track is accurate. The very

6 • January-March 2022 ISASI Forum