Article courtesy of U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Aviation Administration
FAA Foreign Object Debris Program
As defined in AC 150/5210-24 (CURRENT), Foreign Object Debris (FOD) Management, FOD is any object, live or not, located in an inappropriate location in the airport environment that has the capacity to injure airport or air carrier personnel and damage aircraft.
The presence of FOD is a continuing concern at our nation's airports. FOD creates safety hazards and can ultimately impact safe operations by damaging aircraft. Airports, Airlines, and the General Aviation community have taken the necessary steps to minimize FOD by engaging in successful FOD management programs, as per AC 150/5210-24 (CURRENT), Airport FOD Management.
In an effort to enhance safety at our nation's airports, the FAA has developed a prototype FOD reporting page. The purpose of the FAA's FOD reporting page is not to quantify the amount of FOD a single airport generates; but rather to provide an overall general awareness of FOD events, identify reoccurring FOD issues, and isolate problem areas across the population of U.S. airports.
FOD Reporting
To report FOD items, use the FAA FOD Reporting Form. 