Runway Incursion by Airport Van in Missouri

[patrickal]

A rather close call at Springfield-Branson National Airport in Missouri. An air port van passes in front of a departing regional jet with about 4 seconds of separation. It appears the driver did receive clearance from GND.

You Tube

[TWT]

Lessons have been learned. Next year, the BBQ will be held in the GA area.

[patrickal]

Originally Posted by TWT

Lessons have been learned. Next year, the BBQ will be held in the GA area.

Or all departures will be held at the gate, and arrivals at their airport of origin, until the airport crew is fed.

[pattern_is_full]

If you are talking SW Mo. BBQ, then 1) any thoughts of health and safety have already been discounted, and 2) you don't let nuttin get in your way. Mmmm-MMMM!

(I joke only because things turned out OK - obviously, it was a serious communications slipup that came extremely close to a significant accident).

[cooperplace]

call me paranoid, but it's a good idea to have a look when about to drive across a runway, even with clearance.

[ATCO1962]

Isn't that Airfield Ops 101? Even if you're cleared to cross the active, you look both ways carefully and engage your brain. Controllers aren't immune to making mistakes. Layer upon layer of safety checks is the mantra, especially when it comes to runway ops, one of the last remaining places, from a controller point of view, where very bad things can happen with very little recourse to automated intervention.

[hoss183]

working link

You Tube

[glad rag]

Was it A. Van?

[topgas]

with about 4 seconds of separation

I think it was a bit more than 4 seconds - the video was considerably speeded up

[A Squared]

Originally Posted by topgas

I think it was a bit more than 4 seconds - the video was considerably speeded up

The caption on the video claims that it is not speeded up.

[DaveReidUK]

The first 14 seconds of the video (the intro with the taxying Delta CRJ) is speeded up by around 70%, according to the author.

The rest of the video is in real time.

[towerguy]

Why was it on 'Ground' frequency?
Down here any vehicle entering, operating on, or crossing an active runway has to change to the Tower frequency so there is only 1 person controlling anything and everything on that strip of concrete. Maybe they need a procedure change?

[core_dump]

Originally Posted by patrickal

It appears the driver did receive clearance from GND.

In my neck of the woods you receive crossing clearances from LCL, not GND. In Missouri, though, I guess most anything goes. As the residents say, "Show me!".