The FAA has updated and increased the availability of Arrival Alert Notices (AAN) at specific U.S. airports as a preflight tool to help pilots avoid lining up to land on the wrong runway, taxiway, or incorrect airport. According to the agency, general aviation pilots (including those crewing business aircraft) account for 83 percent of wrong-surface landings.

In testing, the agency said AANs have been “found to be effective in mitigating risks associated with wrong-surface landings.” Data shows that certain airports—especially those with close offset parallel runways and close proximity of thresholds of intersecting runways—have experienced an increase in the number of alignment issues resulting in a potential or actual landing on an incorrect surface. The data also shows that these errors typically occur during daytime VMC.

If an airport has an AAN, it will be flagged in the special notices section found on the back of the airport’s approach charts. Aerial views of all airports that have AANs are available on the AAN website. Each view is accompanied by a brief description of the reason that might cause landing surface confusion.

“This add-on to our From the Flight Deck series is one of the many proactive steps we are taking to address runway safety and help pilots remain vigilant,” said Jeffrey Planty, FAA v-p for safety and technical training. “As part of preflight planning, a pilot can access the tool, pull up a map of a select airport, and get an aerial view of the airport’s surface and other important safety information.”