Which description best matches Category D runway incursion?

Which description best matches Category D runway incursion?

• A. An incident that meets the runway incursion definition but involves a single vehicle, person, or aircraft on the protected area with no immediate safety consequences.
• B. A serious incident in which a collision was narrowly avoided.
• C. An incident characterized by ample time or distance to avoid collision.
• D. An incident in which separation decreases and a significant potential for collision exists, which may require a time-critical response.

Answer: (A)

Category D describes the lowest-severity runway incursion: someone or something briefly on the protected area without creating an immediate safety consequence. It still meets the definition of an incursion because an unauthorized presence occurred on the runway area, but the situation did not pose an immediate risk or require urgent action. The other options describe scenarios with greater risk or urgency—near-collision or significant potential for collision needing time-critical response, or a situation where there is ample time to avoid a collision—which align with higher categories, not Category D.

Category D describes the lowest-severity runway incursion: someone or something briefly on the protected area without creating an immediate safety consequence. It still meets the definition of an incursion because an unauthorized presence occurred on the runway area, but the situation did not pose an immediate risk or require urgent action. The other options describe scenarios with greater risk or urgency—near-collision or significant potential for collision needing time-critical response, or a situation where there is ample time to avoid a collision—which align with higher categories, not Category D.