FIRE SUPPRESSION CREW WALKED ACROSS A RWY AT BJC.

Date: 2000-06 · Aircraft: Cessna 337 Super Skymaster · Phase: ground

Anomalies: deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|other-pedestrian-traffic-on-arpt-rwy

Synopsis

FIRE SUPPRESSION CREW WALKED ACROSS A RWY AT BJC.

Narrative

WHILE RETURNING TO OUR ACFT ON FOOT FOR AN AIR ATTACK MISSION (AERIAL FIRE SUPERVISION AND DIRECTION); MY CREW MEMBER AND I WERE IMPEDED IN OUR TRAVEL ON THE RAMP BY A CROSS RWY. WE WERE TRYING TO EXPEDITE OUR DEP IN ORDER TO RELIEVE THE ACFT CURRENTLY OVER THE FIRE WHO WAS COMING UP ON THE END OF HIS FUEL CYCLE. THE PRESSURE OF TIME WAS A FACTOR IN OUR DECISION TO WALK ACROSS THE INACTIVE RWY 20. WE HAD LANDED ON RWY 29R AND ALL OF THE TFC HAD BEEN USING THE RWYS 29; SO WE CAREFULLY PROCEEDED AFTER VISUALLY AND AUDIBLY CLRING OURSELVES. THE IMPETUS TO CONTINUE ACROSS THE RWY WAS THE ADDITIONAL TIME WHICH WOULD BE REQUIRED TO WALK BACK TO THE TANKER BASE AND ARRANGE FOR A RIDE ON THE ARPT PERIMETER ROAD. THERE WERE SIGNS AT THE RWY EDGE THAT ADVISED XING OF THE ACTIVE RWY WAS NOT PERMITTED. IT APPEARS THAT THIS HAS BEEN A CONTINUING PROB FOR PERSONS ON THE GND TRYING TO GET BACK AND FORTH TO ACFT FROM THE VARIOUS FACILITIES ON THE JEFFCO ARPT AS THERE WAS A NEED TO POST SIGNS. WE WERE INTERCEPTED AS WE CONTINUED TOWARD OUR ACFT ON THE E SIDE OF RWY 20 BY THE COUNTY ARPT PERSONNEL. THEY INFORMED US WE HAD INAPPROPRIATELY CROSSED THE RWY AND THE TWR WAS UPSET. TO HELP ALLEVIATE THIS PROB IN THE FUTURE; I WOULD SUGGEST A XING POINT WHICH HAD A TELEPHONE OR RADIO TO THE TWR FOR PERMISSION TO CROSS TO THE E PORTION OF THE RAMP AREA. SECONDLY; I HAVE DECIDED TO CARRY MY PORTABLE VHF TRANSCEIVER FOR GND COM WHILE ON A CTLED ARPT RAMP AS A PEDESTRIAN. UNTIL COM TO TWR HAPPENS; ADDITIONALLY; A SIGN FURTHER UP THE W RAMP WHICH MADE CLR THAT PEDESTRIAN TFC ACROSS THE CROSS RWY WAS NOT AUTHORIZED WOULD REDUCE THE HUMAN FACTOR OF DESIRE; WHICH MOTIVATES ONE TO CONTINUE THE LAST 100-200 YARDS TO THEIR ACFT.

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