Tabletop runway

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Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport in Saba, an example of a tabletop runway.

A tabletop runway is a runway that is located on the top of a plateau or hill with one or both ends adjacent to a steep precipice which drops into a deep gorge.[1][2] This type of runway creates an optical illusion of being at the same level as the plains below, which requires a very precise approach by the pilot.[3][4]

List of tabletop runways[]

Country Location Airport Airport Code (IATA/ICAO) Ref.
 Brazil Sao Paulo Congonhas Airport CGH/SBSP
 Colombia Pasto Antonio Nariño Airport PSO/SKPS
Pereira Matecaña International Airport PEI/SKPE
 Faroe Islands Sørvágur Vágar Airport FAE/EKVG
 France Courchevel Courchevel Airport CVF/LFLJ
 India Himachal Pradesh Shimla Airport SLV/VISM [5]
Kerala Calicut International Airport CCJ/VOCL [6]
Kannur International Airport CNN/VOKN
Karnataka Mangalore International Airport IXE/VOML [7][8]
Mizoram Lengpui Airport AJL/VELP [8]
Sikkim Pakyong Airport PYG/VEPY
 Italy Lampedusa Lampedusa Airport LMP/LICD
   Nepal Dolpa Dolpa Airport DOP/VNDP [9]
Khotang Manmaya Rai Airport ?/VKND [9]
Okhaldhunga Rumjatar Airport RUM/VNRT [9]
Mugu Talcha Airport ?/VNRR [10]
Solukhumbu Tenzing–Hillary Airport LUA/VNLK [11]
Kathmandu Tribhuvan International Airport KTM/VNKT [12][9]
Sankhuwasabha Tumlingtar Airport TMI/VNTR [9]
 Netherlands Saba Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport SAB/TNCS [11]
 Philippines Baguio Loakan Airport BAG/RPUB
 Portugal Santa Cruz Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport FNC/LPMA
 Saint Helena Longwood Saint Helena Airport HLE/FHSH
 Spain Playa Santiago La Gomera Airport GMZ/GCGM
Montferrer i Castellbò Andorra-La Seu d'Urgell Airport LEU/LESU
 United States California Catalina Airport AVX/KAVX
Monterey Airport MRY/KMRY
McClellan Palomar Airport CLD/KCRQ
San Nicolas Island NOLF ?/KNSI
Arizona Sedona Airport SDX/KSEZ
West Virginia Yeager Airport CRW/KCRW
Colorado Telluride Airport TEX/KTEX
 New Zealand {{Country}Honduras Wellington Tegucigalpa Toncontin Internacional Airport Wellington International Airport WLG/NZWN

Incidents

  • The configuration of Mangalore Airport has been cited as a factor in the Air India Express Flight 812 crash on 22 May 2010. The Boeing 737 Air India Express flight involved overshot the runway threshold touchdown area, failed to stop, went out of control, and rolled down a steep hillside.
  • On 25 May 2011, an Embraer Phenom 100, N224MD, operated by JetSuite overran the runway during landing at the Sedona Airport. The pilots approached with an excessive airspeed, which resulted in a failure to stop the airplane before overrunning the runway. The airplane came to the rest upright on an approximately 40-degree incline at approximately 117.6 metres (386 ft) below the departure end of runway 21. The first officer and one passenger suffered serious injuries.[13]
  • On 27 May 2017, Summit Air Flight 409 stalled on final approach to Tenzing–Hillary Airport, subsequently crashing 122 metres (400 ft) below the threshold of runway 06. The cargo flight descended too low on approach, upon which pilots suddenly increased the angle of attack at the low speed. The aircraft stalled as a result of excessive drag and impacted the sloppy terrain 39.6 metres (130 ft) short of the runway.[14]
  • On 7 August 2020, an Air India Express Flight 1344 Boeing 737 (as part of Vande Bharat Mission) skidded off the tabletop runway at Calicut International Airport in Kerala with 19 fatalities including the captain and co-pilot.[15]

References[]

  1. ^ "Beauty belies tricky runway". The Telegraph. 2010-05-22. Archived from the original on 2018-02-19. Retrieved 2010-05-23.
  2. ^ "What is a table-top airport?". NDTV. 2010-05-23. Archived from the original on 2012-09-29. Retrieved 2010-05-23.
  3. ^ "Tabletop runways create an optical illusion". The Hindu. 2010-05-22. Retrieved 2010-05-23.
  4. ^ "Why the Tabletop runways considered risky?".
  5. ^ Service, Tribune News. "Shimla's table-top airport 'riskiest', is 300 metres short of required length". Tribuneindia News Service. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
  6. ^ "Quixplained graphic: What are tabletop runways?". The Indian Express. 2020-08-11. Retrieved 2020-08-28.
  7. ^ "Tabletop Runways". GKToday. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
  8. ^ a b "Calicut is one of the three tabletop airports in India, runways hinder rescue operations". Moneycontrol. web|url=https://english.mathrubhumi.com/news/kerala/the-dangers-posed-by-tabletop-runways-1.4961521%7Ctitle=The dangers posed by tabletop runways|website=Mathrubhumi}}
  9. ^ a b c d e "Kathmandu Airport also sits on a 'table-top', like Kozhikode". AviationNepal.com | Aviation Nepal News Network. 2020-08-13. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  10. ^ Daily, Republica (Jan 16, 2017). "Talcha Airport: Precarious yet astonishing to look at". Archived from the original on 2021-12-15.
  11. ^ a b "16 Most Dangerous Airports of The World - 2020 List". www.holidify.com. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
  12. ^ "Factbox: What is a 'table-top runway', the site of deadly Air India plane crash?". Reuters. 2020-08-08. Retrieved 2020-08-08.
  13. ^ Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Embraer EMB-500 Phenom 100 N224MD Sedona Airport, AZ (SDX)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2020-08-20.
  14. ^ Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Let L-410UVP-E20 9N-AKY Lukla-Tenzing-Hillary Airport (LUA)". www.aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2020-08-08.
  15. ^ "Air India plane overshoots Karipur's table top runway, drops into valley; 19 dead". Hindustan Times. 2020-08-07. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
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