FAA issues alert on visual approaches risks in crowded US airspace

The FAA highlighted the importance of communication in the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system to prevent aircraft collisions, urging pilots and ATCs to avoid conflicting ground traffic. The regulator emphasized a captain's authority to decline clearances that may reduce the safety margin, whether related to vectors, speeds, or altitudes.

Moreover, the FAA discussed various operational concerns, including the use of runways as taxiways and the risks posed by maneuvers at low altitudes. They recommended that operations directors review safety materials to ensure safe flight operations, using safety management system (SMS) principles to assist with necessary procedural or training changes.

Mitigating complex operational risks, the FAA suggested methodologies for improved caution and encouraged consideration of instrument approaches to reduce alignment risks. The agency advised pilots to communicate any inability to perform tasks within time constraints and to maintain active visual scanning to avoid conflicts.

"Due to radar limitations, volume of traffic, controller workload or communications frequency congestion, [ATC] may be unable to provide traffic information services. Pilots should consider requesting information about other aircraft including azimuth, in terms of the 12-hour clock, altitude, distance, type and direction of travel, or request radar vectors to avoid traffic conflicts."

Additionally, pilots are encouraged to report safety concerns through voluntary programs and to analyze safety data to assess risks from emerging hazards. The FAA recommended reviewing past advisories, including one InFO and AC, and nine SAFOs relevant to airport safety.