Quantifying metrics of external airport risk exposure in vicinity of public use, nontowered airports

This paper presents research conducted in modeling specific exposure metrics of communities in the vicinity of public use, nontowered airports to aviation accidents that result in crash sites outside the immediate confines of a runway (termed external airport risk). Two exposure metrics are explored: a relative exposure (termed crash hazard), defined as the probability that a crash site will be located in a specific area if a crash were to occur at an airport, and an absolute exposure (termed crash risk), defined as the expected number of crashes per year within any defined area. Results of this research are presented as a series of choropleth maps that define boundaries as contours, within which these metrics exceed some defined threshold. A specific application of this research is presented within the context of a model airport.