N E S W 206°
21 / 03
RWY 21/03
HDG 206°
LEN 5,000 ft
Hilton Head Airport

Runway 21 at KHXD

Runway 21/03 at Hilton Head Airport (KHXD) in Hilton Head Island is a 5,000 ft, lighted, asphalt runway oriented 206°/026°. The runway is 100 ft wide, with a 403 ft displaced threshold on the 21 end. SkyMeter has observed 653 landings and 439 departures on this runway over the last 30 days, with approximately 0.0% of arrivals resulting in a go-around. Trace data shows an average final-approach slope of 3.1°, touchdowns averaging 7,992 ft past the threshold, a typical touchdown ground speed of 109 kt, a 5.4 kt average crosswind component, a 10.8 kt average headwind.

Last 30 Days
1092 Operations
439 Deps / 653 Arrs

Runway 21/03 at Hilton Head Airport (KHXD) in Hilton Head Island is a 5,000 ft, lighted, asphalt runway oriented 206°/026°. The runway is 100 ft wide, with a 403 ft displaced threshold on the 21 end. SkyMeter has observed 653 landings and 439 departures on this runway over the last 30 days, with approximately 0.0% of arrivals resulting in a go-around. Trace data shows an average final-approach slope of 3.1°, touchdowns averaging 7,992 ft past the threshold, a typical touchdown ground speed of 109 kt, a 5.4 kt average crosswind component, a 10.8 kt average headwind.

Runway at a Glance

Arrival Volume

653 landings observed on Runway 21 in the last 30 days, alongside 439 departures.

Peak Hour

Busiest landing window observed at 16:00 with 9 arrivals on the recent sample.

Average Touchdown Zone

Aircraft touch down on average 7,992 ft from the threshold on Runway 21.

Prevailing Wind & Gust History

Over the past 365 days, winds at KHXD have prevailed from the north-northeast (30°), accounting for roughly 22% of windy observations. Average wind speed sits at 5.2 kt with peak gusts to 35 kt. Strong-wind days are infrequent here.

Moderate Crosswind Component

Average crosswind on landing is 5.4 kt at touchdown, measured against runway 21 alignment.

Approach Slope

Final-approach slope averages 3.1° on Runway 21, consistent with the standard 3° glide path.

Landing Behavior and Touchdown Performance

The metrics below are computed from ADS-B trace data observed at Runway 21 over the last 30 days. Each value is shown only when at least 10 valid samples were available; sparse cells are hidden rather than estimated.

Avg approach slope
3.1°
Avg touchdown GS
109 kts
Avg touchdown zone
7,992 ft
Avg headwind
10.8 kt

Hourly Landing Distribution

02:00 1 landings
11:00 2 landings
13:00 1 landings
14:00 2 landings
15:00 4 landings
16:00 9 landings
17:00 8 landings
18:00 9 landings
19:00 4 landings
20:00 4 landings
21:00 1 landings
22:00 2 landings
23:00 3 landings

Recent observed landings on Runway 21 grouped by hour-of-day (UTC).

Approach Types and Categories

Aircraft approach runways using different procedures based on weather conditions, visibility, and available navigation equipment. An Instrument Landing System (ILS) approach provides precision horizontal and vertical guidance using ground-based radio signals, enabling aircraft to land in low visibility conditions. Visual approaches require pilots to maintain visual contact with the runway and surrounding terrain, typically used during clear weather. Area Navigation (RNAV) approaches use GPS technology to guide aircraft along specific flight paths.

Approach Categories Explained

Category (CAT) classifications define minimum visibility and decision height requirements for instrument approaches. Higher categories enable operations in lower visibility conditions.

CAT I
Decision Height: 200 ft
Visibility: 550m
CAT II
Decision Height: 100 ft
Visibility: 300m
CAT III
Decision Height: 0-50 ft
Visibility: 0-200m
Visual
Clear of Clouds
Visibility: 5 km

Wind and Environmental Factors

Wind conditions directly impact runway operations, influencing approach difficulty, landing performance, and runway selection. Runway 21 benefits from favorable wind alignment, with prevailing winds creating minimal crosswind components for most operations. Average wind speeds of 12 knots pose no operational constraints for commercial aircraft.

24-Hour Wind Pattern

16:00
182° at 12 kts, gusting 13 kts
12 kts
17:00
175° at 13 kts, gusting 13 kts
13 kts
18:00
176° at 13 kts, gusting 12 kts
13 kts
19:00
176° at 13 kts, gusting 14 kts
13 kts
20:00
180° at 13 kts, gusting 14 kts
13 kts
21:00
178° at 14 kts, gusting 14 kts
14 kts
22:00
180° at 13 kts, gusting 14 kts
13 kts
02:00
197° at 14 kts, gusting 20 kts
14 kts
11:00
229° at 8 kts, gusting 13 kts
8 kts
13:00
229° at 8 kts, gusting 14 kts
8 kts
14:00
215° at 8 kts, gusting 10 kts
8 kts
15:00
215° at 8 kts, gusting 10 kts
8 kts
23:00
63° at 4 kts, gusting 17 kts
4 kts
METAR
0° at 0 kts, gusting 0 kts
0 kts

Wind patterns show typical diurnal variation with stronger winds during midday hours.

Average Speed
12 kts
Peak Gust
18 kts
Prevailing Direction
206°
Avg Crosswind
8 kts

Related Pages

About This Data

This analysis covers 1092 operations recorded over the past 30 days, derived from global ADS-B flight broadcasts. Coverage may be incomplete in areas with limited ground-station reception, and statistics may vary with weather and traffic volume.