US: FAA warns pilots of risk of transposed runway numbers

The FAA has warned in a Safety Alert for Operators (SAFO) of the risk of a runway overrun at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) caused by transposed runway numbers. Dated Sept. 4, the SAFO describes a runway event at SFO last year that involved pilots consulting takeoff performance system (TPS) data for Runway 10L, while the actual departure was from Runway 01L. “This resulted in an actual takeoff runway length (for 01L) that was 4,220 ft. less than what was calculated by the TPS (for 10L),” according to the SAFO. Using the flap and thrust settings required for Runway 10L “resulted in a rotation at standard speed, and a takeoff with 400 ft. of usable takeoff distance remaining.” The pilots submitted a voluntary report under the Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP). Analysis by the carrier of other ASAP reports and Flight Operations Quality Assurance data revealed that “similar errors of lower severity had previously occurred.”<br/>