AO-2010-006

This was a serious runway incursion incident that occurred when an aviation security officer drove a patrol vehicle onto the active runway at Dunedin International Airport at night in heavy rain ahead of a landing aeroplane. A collision was narrowly avoided because the vehicle driver kept to the shoulder of the runway and stopped soon after entering the runway.

The driver intended to use the runway as a means of conducting an airfield perimeter fence check because recent heavy rain had flooded parts of the dirt perimeter road and the grassed areas from which such checks were normally accomplished.

The driver was unaware that an aeroplane had just landed when he drove onto the runway. Likewise, the pilots were unaware that a patrol vehicle had entered the runway after they landed, and they would have been in no position to take avoiding action to prevent a collision had the vehicle been driven in front of their aeroplane.

The main issues that led to the incident were a lack of awareness by aviation security officers of the significance of the runway lights being on, and inadequate local procedures for aviation security officers to access the runway safely outside the hours of service of air traffic control (ATC). Actions taken by the Aviation Security Service (Avsec) since the incident to improve the training of aviation security officers and procedures should help prevent a recurrence.
Therefore, the Commission did not make any recommendation as a result of this inquiry.