A runway reported as "Patchy" contamination is considered contaminated.

A runway reported as "Patchy" contamination is considered contaminated.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Not enough information
• D. It depends on runway length

Answer: (B)

In runway surface reporting, the description of contamination focuses on how widespread the contamination is. Patchy means there are contaminated patches, not a uniformly contaminated surface. The term contaminated is used when the surface is broadly affected or when braking action is significantly degraded across the runway. So, simply having patchy contamination does not automatically classify the entire runway as contaminated. You’d assess the extent and where the patches are, and only label the runway contaminated if the affected area meets the criteria or thresholds for contamination.

In runway surface reporting, the description of contamination focuses on how widespread the contamination is. Patchy means there are contaminated patches, not a uniformly contaminated surface. The term contaminated is used when the surface is broadly affected or when braking action is significantly degraded across the runway. So, simply having patchy contamination does not automatically classify the entire runway as contaminated. You’d assess the extent and where the patches are, and only label the runway contaminated if the affected area meets the criteria or thresholds for contamination.