What happened
While managing both tower and ground duties, an air traffic controller issued landing clearance to an aircraft approximately 8 miles from the runway. During this period, another aircraft landed successfully and was cleared to taxi toward its hangar. Simultaneously, the controller authorized a tractor, equipped with retractable bat-wing mowers in the raised position, to traverse the 6,350-foot active runway at an intersection located roughly 2,600 feet from the threshold.
As the controller focused on the aircraft taxiing to the hangar, the landing aircraft completed its approach. During the rollout phase, the left wing of the aircraft struck the right side of the tractor, which was positioned slightly left of the runway centerline. Evidence from skid marks indicates the pilot attempted an evasive maneuver by steering the aircraft to the right to prevent the impact. Calculations suggest the aircraft was roughly 1,000 feet away from the collision point at the moment the tractor entered the runway area.
Findings
Investigation into the incident revealed that the operator of the tractor failed to scan the runway prior to the crossing attempt, as their attention was focused on the left-side mower attachment. Furthermore, it was noted that existing FAA publications lack sufficient guidance regarding the requirement for ground vehicle operators to visually verify that active runways and approaches are clear before proceeding with crossing authorization, representing a lack of secondary visual verification by the vehicle operator.