RWY INCURSION BY A PROSPECTIVE RENTER PLT OF A C172 AT FLL; FL

Narrative

THE FLT ON MAR/TUE/02 WAS A CHKOUT FLT FOR A PROSPECTIVE RENTAL CUSTOMER; MR X; AN FAA CERTIFIED PVT PLT (ASEL). MR X TAXIED TO THE ACTIVE RWY AS PER THE INSTRUCTIONS OF THE FXE GND CTL. AT ALL TIMES; HE MAINTAINED POSITIVE RADIO CONTACT WITH GND CTL. AFTER THE ENG RUN-UP; HE TAXIED AND HELD SHORT OF THE ACTIVE RWY (RWY 8). MR X SWITCHED TO THE FXE TWR FREQ AND ANNOUNCED HIS POS AS HOLDING SHORT OF THE ACTIVE RWY. NO ACKNOWLEDGEMENT WAS HEARD. ADDITIONALLY; I WAS UNABLE TO HEAR ANY OF THE MESSAGES FROM THE TWR TO OTHER ACFT; WHICH PROMPTED ME TO TRY ADJUSTING MY HEADSET TO ENSURE CLARITY OF COM. MEANWHILE; MUCH TO MY SURPRISE; I HEARD MR X TELLING THE TWR THAT HE WAS CLRED FOR TKOF; AND INITIATING THE TURN ONTO THE ACTIVE RWY! ALMOST IMMEDIATELY THE TWR CAME BACK TO US; ASKING US TO VACATE THE RWY. THEY GAVE US A TELEPHONE NUMBER; WITH INSTRUCTIONS TO CALL THEM AFTER THE FLT. THE TWR INFORMED US THAT THEY HAD TRIED TO GET IN TOUCH WITH US AND RECEIVED NO REPLY. FURTHERMORE; THEY HAD NOT GIVEN THE CLRNC TO PROCEED ONTO THE RWY. AFTER THE FLT; I TOOK IT UPON MYSELF TO CALL THE TELEPHONE NUMBER GIVEN. THE GENTLEMAN WHO ANSWERED THE CALL REQUESTED DETAILS; WHICH INCLUDED MY ADDRESS; TELEPHONE NUMBER; AND PLT LICENSE NUMBER -- ALL OF WHICH I READILY FURNISHED. I WAS INFORMED THAT THE FSDO WOULD GET IN TOUCH WITH ME. IF I HAD ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS; I WAS ASKED TO CALL UP THEIR MGR; MS Y; WHO WOULD BE AVAILABLE BTWN XA00-XI00 HRS THE NEXT DAY (MAR/WED/02). THE NEXT DAY I CALLED UP MS Y AND TOLD HER WHAT HAD HAPPENED. SHE SAID THAT IT WAS NOT ME WHO WAS AT FAULT. HOWEVER; SHE ADDED SINCE THEY HAD ALREADY SENT MY DETAILS TO THE FSDO; THERE WAS LITTLE SHE COULD DO; AND I MIGHT HEAR FROM THE FSDO IN A FEW WKS TIME. SHE SUGGESTED THAT IN CASE THE FSDO CONTACTED ME; I SHOULD GIVE MR X DETAILS (IE; PLT LICENSE NUMBER; ADDRESS; AND TELEPHONE NUMBER).