UNAUTHORIZED VEHICLE SLAMS INTO LTT AFTER EVADING POLICE CAR ON ARPT TAXIWAY. ACFT DAMAGED. PAXS EVACUATED.

Date: 1992-04 · Aircraft: Light Transport; Low Wing; 2 Turboprop Eng · Phase: taxi

Anomalies: conflict-ground-conflict|critical|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|other-unspecified

Synopsis

UNAUTHORIZED VEHICLE SLAMS INTO LTT AFTER EVADING POLICE CAR ON ARPT TAXIWAY. ACFT DAMAGED. PAXS EVACUATED.

Narrative

I WAS TAXIING ACFT TOWARD GATE AREA AFTER LNDG ACFT. I NOTICED A VEHICLE ON THE TAXIWAY IN FRONT OF OUR ACFT. WE QUERIED GND AS TO THE INTENTIONS OF THE VEHICLE. GND CTL WAS UNAWARE OF THE VEHICLE. I STOPPED THE ACFT ON THE TAXIWAY. WE OBSERVED THE VEHICLE BEING INVESTIGATED BY A POLICE OFFICER. THE VEHICLE THEN ACCELERATED AWAY FROM THE POLICE OFFICER; SWERVING TOWARD US. I DID NOT KNOW THE INTENTIONS OF THE VEHICLE AND THOUGHT HE WOULD SWERVE AWAY FROM OUR ACFT. HE THEN PROCEEDED TOWARD OUR ACFT IMPACTING THE R ENG/PROP AND R FUSELAGE AREA. THE VEHICLE PROCEEDED BENEATH THE ACFT AND CAME TO A REST APPROX 100 FT BEHIND OUR ACFT. WHEN I FIRST SAW THE VEHICLE; I THOUGHT IT WAS AN ARPT OPS VEHICLE; AND THOUGHT IT WOULD CLR THE TAXIWAY. I REALIZED IT WAS AN UNAUTHORIZED VEHICLE ONCE THE POLICE OFFICER APCHED THE VEHICLE. AT THAT TIME; I FELT THE OFFICER WOULD ESCORT THE VEHICLE OFF THE TAXIWAY. I DID NOT REALIZE THE VEHICLE WAS INTENDING TO IMPACT OUR ACFT UNTIL IT SWERVED TOWARD US. AT THAT TIME; IT WAS TOO LATE TO FEATHER THE PROP TO MINIMIZE DAMAGE. UPON SPEAKING TO THE POLICE OFFICER; HE INDICATED THE MAN IN THE VEHICLE WISHED TO KILL HIMSELF. THE INCIDENT MAY HAVE BEEN AVERTED HAD THE CTLING ATC FACILITY KNOWN ABOUT THE VEHICLE PRIOR TO OUR QUERY OR HAD WE BEEN ABLE TO IDENT THE VEHICLE AS BEING AN UNAUTHORIZED VEHICLE PRIOR TO OUR TAXIING PAST AN ADJACENT TAXIWAY ALLOWING US TO BACK TAXI AROUND THE VEHICLE.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.