A GENERAL AVIATION PILOT SHUTS DOWN HIS ENGINE TO PREVENT APPROACHING PEDESTRIANS FROM BEING INJURED AT KPNE; PA.

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REPOSITIONED ACFT TO MAIN TERMINAL TO PICK UP OWNER. AFTER PRESTART AND START CHECK LIST AND ENGINE RUNNING; READY FOR TAXI; NOTICED FEMALE PUSHING MALE IN WHEELCHAIR. THEY WERE 40 YARDS OUTBOARD OF OUR POSITION AT MAIN TERMINAL AND HEADED TOWARD TERMINAL. THEY CONTINUED TOWARD THE TERMINAL AND IN OUR GENERAL DIRECTION. WHEN ABOUT 40 FEET FROM FRONT OF OUR ACFT; WOMAN PUSHING STARTED TURNING TOWARD THE FRONT OF OUR PLANE. WE DID AN EMERGENCY SHUTDOWN AND SHE CONTINUED TO HEAD FOR OUR PLANE. SHE PUSHED THE WHEELCHAIR TO WITHIN 7 FEET OF OUR PROPELLER. SUGGEST APRT HAVE BETTER OVERSITE OF RAMP AREA. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: DURING CALLBACK THE RPTR INDICATED THAT THE PEDESTRIAN SEEMED TO HAVE NO IDEA OF THE HAZARDS OF BEING ON AN ACTIVE RAMP AREA. THEY SEEMED TO BE JUST WANDERING AROUND LOOKING TO SEE WHAT COULD BE SEEN. AFTER PASSING THE ACFT THEIR EXIT WAS MADE THROUGH A GATE IN THE FENCE THAT SEPARATES THE TERMINAL FROM THE RAMP. THE INCIDENT OCCURRED IN A NON MOVEMENT AREA BUT THE RPTR SAID IT WOULD HAVE BEEN EASY FOR THE PEDESTRIANS TO GET INTO THE MOVEMENT AREA WITH THEIR APPARENT LACK OF KNOWLEDGE. IN PAST VISITS TO THIS ARPT THE RPTR SAID THERE HAD BEEN SIGNAGE ON THE TERMINAL SIDE OF THE FENCE BUT THAT WAS SOME YEARS AGO. HE IS NOT AWARE OF WHAT IS THERE NOW.