Definition
A surface incident in which a vehicle, person, or other non-aircraft object enters a portion of the airport movement area (runway, taxiway, or safety area) without authorization from air traffic control. VP/Ds are tracked by the FAA as a category of runway safety event, separate from pilot deviations and operational errors by controllers.
Plain English
Someone on the ground — a driver, a worker on foot, or a piece of equipment — went somewhere on the airport they weren't cleared to go, like onto a runway or taxiway.
Context Anchor
Seen in airport surface safety reports, runway incursion discussions, and communications about unauthorized people or vehicles on runways or taxiways.
Derivation
“Deviation” comes from roots meaning to turn aside from the way. In this term, it points to a person or vehicle departing from the authorized route, clearance, or procedure on the airport surface.
Why Pilots Care
VP/D events create immediate collision risk between aircraft and ground traffic, directly affecting runway safety and requiring rapid crew awareness.
Intuition Check
Do not read “deviation” here as just a small difference from normal. In this FAA safety context, it means an unauthorized or improper action by a person or vehicle on the airport surface that can create a hazard for aircraft.
Example Sentence 1
Tower issued a go-around to the landing aircraft after a fuel truck crossed the runway hold line, resulting in a VP/D report.
Example Sentence 2
Pilots review VP/D incidents during ground training to recognize and report surface deviations promptly.