Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport recently reopened one of its runways, which had been closed since September due to an incident involving a CommuteAir ERJ145 flight. The plane, operating as United Express, overshot the runway and was safely stopped by the airport’s engineered material arresting system (EMAS).

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the EMAS played a crucial role in preventing any injuries during the incident. The system is designed to provide a controlled deceleration for aircrafts that overrun the runway by utilizing a bed of customized cement material.

Representatives from the manufacturer of the EMAS, Runway Safe, visited the airport to remove the damaged blocks and will be replacing them in the coming months. In the meantime, the runway has been reopened for use, but it is considered “nonstandard” until the EMAS blocks are replaced.

The installation of the current EMAS system at Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport was completed in 2024, replacing the previous one that was installed in 2004 and rehabilitated in 2012. The project was coordinated by Branch Builds, a construction unit of the Roanoke-based Branch Group, and they worked with Boland’s North, a New York-based specialty contractor.

Scott Webber, a project manager for Branch Builds, learned about the incident through a news report and was relieved to hear that the EMAS had functioned as intended, keeping all 53 passengers on the plane safe. He and his colleague, Travis Cooper, who also worked on the installation, were proud to have contributed to a project that prioritizes safety at the airport.