We note the headlines from CNN website "Newark runway risks concern Fed" www.cnn.com/2009/TRAVEL/11/27/nj.runway.danger/index.html

The concern at Newark International Airport is that 1 in 700 landings results in an overshoot or missed approach. We know that air traffic controllers and pilots think of missed approaches as "safety measures" so we decided to check Porter's record of "safety measures" executed at the Island Airport.

Since January 2009 CADORS, Transport Canada's database, has recorded 55 overshoot/missed approaches. Assuming there are 50 PORTER landings at the Island Airport per day, our math looks like this:

As there are 329 days since January multiplied by 50 landings per day this equals 16,450 landings divided by 55 (missed approaches). This equals one in every 300 landings. But wait... we decided to look for other aircraft attempting to land at TCCA where the operator was not recorded as PORTER and there were an additional 10 missed approaches. A closer look revealed this interesting entry for November 19th.

Between 191630Z and 200230Z, a total of 16 Porter Airlines aircraft executed missed approaches due weather. Weather varied from 200' OVC and 2 SM VIS down to 100' OVC with VIS at 1 5/8 SM. Five aircraft also departed during this period.

Fifty-five missed approaches? With multiple attempted landings per record there were 91 missed approaches by PORTER aircraft a whopping 16 in one day! So when we compare this to Newark's 1 in 700, 1 in 181 attempted landings by PORTER at the Island Airport resulted in overshoots/missed approaches. We could say on average a missed approach by PORTER occurs every three or four days.

Why are there more overshoot/missed approaches ("safety measures") being executed here? Of the 65 records of missed approaches (some of which were multiple) to the Island Airport, weather accounted for 23 of those records. Conflicts with other aircraft totalled 8 records. Other reasons including bird strikes, mechanical failures, anticipation of a long touch down and pilot options to execute a missed approach for unknown reasons equalled 34 records.

We ask: Can the weather problems have something to do with the location of the airport on the waterfront? Does the short runway surrounded by water contribute to pilots' decisions to abort?

Skywatcher