US FAA Funds System to Prevent Accidents Involving Runaway Airplanes [View all]
Source: US News and World Report/Reuters
Aug. 26, 2025, at 3:28 p.m.
PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) -The Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday touted the reopening of a runway at Philadelphia International Airport through the installation of a system to stop a runaway airplane.
The FAA awarded $8.5 million last year for the airport's first Engineered Material Arresting System, which is a series of 2,000 tiles designed to stop an overrunning aircraft traveling at speeds of up to 70 knots. The system uses crushable material installed, which is compressed by the airplane's landing gear.
"This process in essence, it decelerates and safety stops the aircraft," Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said at a press event on Tuesday.
There are 117 systems installed at over 60 airports in the United States and are used in places where there is limited excess land beyond runways. Philadelphia is the 21st busiest U.S. airport handling 31 million passengers last year with American Airlines accounting for about two-thirds of traffic.
Read more: https://www.usnews.com/news/top-news/articles/2025-08-26/us-faa-funds-system-to-prevent-accidents-involving-runaway-airplanes
I did hear about this on the radio yesterday afternoon.
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