Engineered Materials Arrestor System
Encyclopedia
An engineered materials arrestor system or engineered materials arresting system (EMAS) is a bed of engineered materials built at the end of a runway. Engineered materials are defined in FAA Advisory Circular No 150/5220-22A as "high energy absorbing materials of selected strength, which will reliably and predictably crush under the weight of an aircraft". While the current technology involves lightweight, crushable concrete blocks, there is no regulatory requirement that this material be used for EMAS. The purpose of an EMAS is to stop an aircraft overrun with no human injury and minimal aircraft damage (usually none). The aircraft is slowed by the loss of energy required to crush the EMAS material, currently concrete blocks. An EMAS is similar in concept to the runaway truck ramp
made of gravel
or sand. It is intended to stop aircraft that have overshot a runway when there is an insufficient free space for a standard runway safety area
(RSA). Multiple patents have been issued on the construction and design on the materials and process. To date, EMAS has a 100% success rate. Every passenger on an aircraft that has entered an EMAS has walked away, and every aircraft has flown away.
the EMAS installed at New York City
's John F. Kennedy International Airport
in 1999 has successfully stopped three aircraft, including a Boeing 747
.
. The concrete blocks cost US$1,000 each.
jet overshot the runway at Teterboro Airport
and was safely stopped by the EMAS installation. No injuries were reported.
On October 13, 2006, New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez
's private jet was brought to a halt safely by the EMAS installation at Burbank Airport. The system was installed after the 2000 Southwest Airlines Flight 1455
runway overshoot that injured 43 passengers and the captain.
After the December 8, 2005 overshoot of Southwest Airlines Flight 1248
at Chicago Midway International Airport, which is located in a heavily congested area, an EMAS was installed on Rwy 13C/31C.
On January 19, 2010, PSA Airlines
Canadair CRJ-200 N246PS performing flight JIA-2495/US-2495 from Charleston, WV (CRW) to Charlotte, North Carolina (CLT) on behalf of US Airways
with 30 passengers and 3 crew, overran the runway following a rejected take-off at 16:13 local time (21:13 UTC). The aircraft was stopped by the EMAS at the end of the runway, sustaining minor damage to its landing gear doors. The aircraft was prevented from plunging down the mountainside at the end of the runway, surely saving the lives of all on board.
Runaway truck ramp
A runaway truck ramp, runaway truck lane, emergency escape ramp or truck arrester bed is a traffic device that enables vehicles that are having braking problems to safely stop. It is typically a long, sand or gravel-filled lane adjacent to a road with a steep grade, and is designed to accommodate...
made of gravel
Gravel
Gravel is composed of unconsolidated rock fragments that have a general particle size range and include size classes from granule- to boulder-sized fragments. Gravel can be sub-categorized into granule and cobble...
or sand. It is intended to stop aircraft that have overshot a runway when there is an insufficient free space for a standard runway safety area
Runway safety area
A runway safety area or runway end safety area is defined as "the surface surrounding the runway prepared or suitable for reducing the risk of damage to airplanes in the event of an undershoot, overshoot, or excursion from the runway."Past standards called for the RSA to extend only 60m from the...
(RSA). Multiple patents have been issued on the construction and design on the materials and process. To date, EMAS has a 100% success rate. Every passenger on an aircraft that has entered an EMAS has walked away, and every aircraft has flown away.
the EMAS installed at New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport is an international airport located in the borough of Queens in New York City, about southeast of Lower Manhattan. It is the busiest international air passenger gateway to the United States, handling more international traffic than any other airport in North...
in 1999 has successfully stopped three aircraft, including a Boeing 747
Boeing 747
The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
.
Approved manufacturers
Currently the only FAA approved producer of EMAS is Engineered Arresting Systems Corporation a division of Zodiac Aerospace(ESCO-ZA). ESCO-ZA designs the EMAS beds and manufactures the concrete blocks at a facility in Logan Township, New JerseyLogan Township, New Jersey
Logan Township is a township in Gloucester County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 6,032....
. The concrete blocks cost US$1,000 each.
Incidents
On October 1, 2010, a private Gulfstream IVGulfstream IV
The Gulfstream IV and derivatives are a family of twin-jet aircraft, mainly for private or business use. The aircraft was designed and built by Gulfstream Aerospace, a General Dynamics company based in Savannah, Georgia, United States from 1985 until 2003.-Design and development:Gulfstream, in...
jet overshot the runway at Teterboro Airport
Teterboro Airport
Teterboro Airport is a general aviation relief airport located in the Boroughs of Teterboro, Moonachie, and Hasbrouck Heights in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. It is owned and operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey...
and was safely stopped by the EMAS installation. No injuries were reported.
On October 13, 2006, New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez
Alex Rodriguez
Alexander Emmanuel "Alex" Rodriguez is an American professional baseball third baseman with the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball. Known popularly by his nickname A-Rod, he previously played shortstop for the Seattle Mariners and the Texas Rangers.Rodriguez is considered one of the best...
's private jet was brought to a halt safely by the EMAS installation at Burbank Airport. The system was installed after the 2000 Southwest Airlines Flight 1455
Southwest Airlines Flight 1455
Southwest Airlines Flight 1455 was a scheduled passenger flight fromMcCarran International Airport , Las Vegas, Nevada to Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport , Burbank, California that overran the runway during landing on March 5, 2000. The aircraft came to rest on a city street adjacent to a gas...
runway overshoot that injured 43 passengers and the captain.
After the December 8, 2005 overshoot of Southwest Airlines Flight 1248
Southwest Airlines Flight 1248
Southwest Airlines Flight 1248 was a scheduled passenger flight from Baltimore-Washington International Airport, in Baltimore, Maryland, to Chicago Midway International Airport, in Chicago, Illinois, to Salt Lake City International Airport in Salt Lake City, Utah, and then to McCarran...
at Chicago Midway International Airport, which is located in a heavily congested area, an EMAS was installed on Rwy 13C/31C.
On January 19, 2010, PSA Airlines
PSA Airlines
PSA Airlines is an American regional airline headquartered at Dayton International Airport in Vandalia, Ohio, that flies under US Airways Express brand for US Airways. PSA is wholly owned by US Airways Group. PSA has crew bases in Knoxville, Tennessee, Charlotte, North Carolina and Dayton, Ohio...
Canadair CRJ-200 N246PS performing flight JIA-2495/US-2495 from Charleston, WV (CRW) to Charlotte, North Carolina (CLT) on behalf of US Airways
US Airways
US Airways, Inc. is a major airline based in the U.S. city of Tempe, Arizona. The airline is an operating unit of US Airways Group and is the sixth largest airline by traffic and eighth largest by market value in the country....
with 30 passengers and 3 crew, overran the runway following a rejected take-off at 16:13 local time (21:13 UTC). The aircraft was stopped by the EMAS at the end of the runway, sustaining minor damage to its landing gear doors. The aircraft was prevented from plunging down the mountainside at the end of the runway, surely saving the lives of all on board.