airport/documents/Mesquite Master Plan Final.pdf - The City of ...

Design, as a “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.” The RSA is centered on the
runway, dimensioned in accordance to
the approach speed of the critical
aircraft using the runway. The FAA
requires the RSA to be cleared and
graded, drained by grading or storm
sewers, capable of accommodating the
design aircraft and fire and rescue
vehicles, and free of obstacles not fixed
by navigational purpose.
The FAA has placed a higher
significance on maintaining adequate
RSAs at all airports due to recent
aircraft accidents. Under Order 5200.8,
effective October 1, 1999, the FAA
established a Runway Safety Area
Program. The Order states, “The
objective of the Runway Safety Area
Program is that all RSAs at federallyobligated
airports . . . shall conform to
the standards contained in Advisory
Circular 150/5300-13 Airport Design, to
the extent practicable.” Each Regional
Airports Division of the FAA is
obligated to collect and maintain data
on the RSA for each runway at the
airport, and perform airport
inspections. Texas, as a block-grant
state, has given the inspection and data
collection responsibility to TxDOT-
Aviation Division for general aviation
airports.
For ARC A/B-II aircraft, the FAA calls
for the RSA to be 150 feet wide and
extend 300 feet beyond the runway
ends. Analysis in the previous section
indicated that Runway 17-35 should be
planned to accommodate aircraft up to
3-10
and including ARC C/D-II. The RSA for
ARC C/D-II aircraft is 500 feet wide and
extends 1,000 feet beyond each runway
end. This is also the standard for ARC
D-III aircraft.
The airport currently provides ample
room to meet B-II standards.
Upgrading to ARC C/D-II could be
challenging, especially at the north end.
The location of Scyene Road allows only
700 feet of RSA. Moreover, drainage
improvements will be necessary as
several ruts have formed along the
southwestern portion of the RSA.
Alternative analysis to be conducted in
the next chapter will provide solutions
to meeting RSA standards for ARC C/D-
II aircraft.
Object Free Area(OFA)
The runway OFA is “a two-dimensional
ground area, surrounding runways,
taxiways, and taxilanes, which is clear
of objects except for objects whose
location is fixed by function (i.e., airfield
lighting).” The OFA is centered on the
runway, extending out in accordance to
the critical aircraft design category
utilizing the runway.
For ARC B-II aircraft, the FAA calls for
the OFA to be 500 feet wide, extending
300 feet beyond each runway end. In
order to meet design criteria for ARC
C/D-II, the OFA would require a cleared
area 800 feet wide, extending 1,000 feet
beyond each runway end. The standard
for D-III aircraft is also 800 feet by
1,000 feet.
The airport currently meets OFA
standards for ARC B-II aircraft.