How crushable concrete beds stop runaway aircraft in their tracks
In short: When an aircraft overruns a runway, it usually faces a dangerous expanse of land or obstacles. But at many airports, a specialized bed of engineered material provides a high-tech solution, absorbing massive amounts of kinetic energy to bring heavy jets to a safe, controlled stop.
Engineered Materials Arresting Systems (EMAS) act as a high-tech alternative to the standard Runway Safety Area (RSA). While a typical RSA can extend 1,000 feet beyond a runway, many airports lack the available land due to highways, railroads, or populated areas. To solve this, researchers in the 1990s—including the University of Dayton and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey—developed EMAS technology to safely arrest overrunning aircraft.
The mechanism is deceptively simple: the aircraft's tires sink into a lightweight, crushable material, such as cellular concrete blocks or foamed silica made from recycled glass. As the aircraft rolls through this bed, it undergoes rapid deceleration. This process is designed to stop an aircraft overrunning at speeds of approximately 70 knots (about 80 miles per hour) with minimal aircraft damage and no human injury.
The economic argument for EMAS is compelling. While development, installation, and maintenance costs are estimated at roughly $600 million, research suggests the technology is highly cost-effective. By mitigating the consequences of runway excursions, the first 11 arrestments alone have reached a calculated total savings of $1.9 billion, far outweighing the initial investment. To date, EMAS has safely stopped 26 overrunning aircraft, protecting 497 crew and passengers.
Current systems, such as Runway Safe's EMASMAX® and greenEMAS®, must meet strict FAA standards. Pilots are advised that if an overrun is imminent, they should maintain directional control and roll straight into the material to ensure a complete stop, regardless of runway conditions.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Engineered Material Arresting System (EMAS) | Federal Aviation Administration
- Also: Engineered materials arrestor system
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