KJFK Arrestor Bed

Chris102 wrote:

I read in the May/June issue of Airliners magazine that at KJFK there is an arrestor bed at the end of the runway to slow down planes that don't clear the runway. Is there an addon for FS with this feature?

What's an arrestor bed?

Arrestor Bed Saves the Day At JFK
On Saturday, May 8, at JFK International Airport,
a soft ground arrestor system developed by the Federal
Aviation Administration safely stopped an American
Eagle Saab 340, carrying 27 passengers and 3 crew, from
possibly plunging off the end of the runway into Thurston
Bay. The FAA developed and tested the arrestor system
at the Tech Center and installed it at JFK under
cooperative research and development agreements with
Engineered Systems (ESCO) of Lester, PA, and the Port
Authority of New York and New Jersey.
According to preliminary reports, the aircraft,
arriving in fog and light rain, landed long on runway 4
Right. It landed just 1,500 ft. from the end of the runway-
-500 ft. beyond which is Thurston Bay. The aircraft
stopped 248 feet into the 400- foot long arrestor bed. All
30 onboard walked off the aircraft. Damage to the aircraft was minimal -- one bent prop and a couple of
blown tires. All landing gear remained intact. The National
Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is now gathering data
from the flight data recorder, which will give the aircraft’s exit
velocity, enabling investigators to recreate the incident.
The arrestor bed, installed in 1997, is constructed of
cellular concrete and is designed to bring transport aircraft to a
safe stop in the unlikely event of a runway overrun. The cost to
install the bed at JFK was approximately $2,620,000. Damage
to the bed was restricted to a 30-foot wide and 250-foot long
section. ESCO began repairs on Monday morning, May 11.
The genesis for the development of an arrestor bed came in
1984 when a DC-10 aircraft overshot runway 4 Right at JFK
and plunged into the bay. Although no serious personal injuries
occurred, the incident resulted in $30 million in damages and
prompted the NSTB to issue a safety recommendation to the
FAA to ascertain whether an arresting system was feasible.
The Port Authority has installed a second arrestor bed at
LaGuardia Airport, and is in the process of installing a second
system at that airport. The FAA has issued an advisory circular to provide guidance on the design of
engineered arrestor systems, us ing knowledge gained from the design, installation, and monitoring of the JFK
system.

As you can see from the photos, it is a bed of sand really that stops the aircraft plunging into the river at the end of the runway 😉

Just found some interesting info here

I never knew it existed 🙄

That's cool. Thanks. 😀

Shouldn't be a problem, I hear sand traps are easy to find. LOL