BOAC:
Another airplane went off the end of the runway last month, and such events happen periodically there, he said.
- don't you just love it?
Without a bit of history, the statement does seem absurd. Here is some context:
The runway is 6,300 feet in length at an elevation of 6,500, msl. The airport is owned by the county who planned a long time ago to lengthen the runway by approximately 1,000 feet. But, the environmentalists got the federal government involved in some kind of "funny" land swap, which placed the airport in the Teton National Park.
The U.S. National Park Service (USNPS) then put the lid on the runway expansion, using not only federal supremacy, but national park precepts of "park environment first." The USNPS couldn't care less about air operations safety. It's all about the environment with them. That would be "okay" except the airport was there first, then some land useless to the ambience of the park was shoved inside of the park boundaries for no reason other than to put a lid on the airport, but without limiting the overwhelming desire of the public to use this remote airport.
Another factor: the airport is literally in a hole, with high terrain all around, yet sufficient navigable airspace exists for a lengthy ILS from the north and now a decent, also lengthy, RNP AR from the south. But, because of the terrain the terminal area is a non-radar operation. (They could augment the radar with beacon interrogators, but the USNPS would likely veto that.) In any case, with radar some aircraft spacing relief would result, but because of the terrain the missed approach tracks would remain unchanged, just as the approach transitions would remain unchanged. Thus, if a missed approach is required the crew is faced with another 85-plus mile circuit to get back to the airport via the ILS (same for the RNP AR, which not all users can use, by any means). Thus, the pressure to land on a runway of marginal length is greater than most air carrier airports.
I know, the crews need to be ever diligent and disciplined. But, an additional 1,000 feet of runway would have prevented many overruns to which the gentleman referred.