Why can one runway emergency make a second mistake more likely?

Answer: It consumes attention

It consumes attention ✓ — Correct! An emergency does not only use vehicles and radio time; it also consumes working memory, attention, and priority space. Controllers and crews may suddenly be juggling a troubled aircraft, runway status, vehicle movement, and normal traffic at once. That makes it easier for a second detail to be missed even if everyone is trying to do the right thing.

It cools the runway — Wrong. Runway temperature is not why one emergency breeds another problem. The real effect is cognitive: abnormal events can absorb attention and force people to switch priorities very quickly.

It blocks radio waves — Wrong. Emergencies do not physically block radio waves. What they do block is spare mental bandwidth. When one urgent problem dominates the system, another conflict may grow in the background before anyone fully catches it.