37000 Feet | Browse and search NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System |
|
Attributes | |
ACN | 1571656 |
Time | |
Date | 201807 |
Local Time Of Day | 0601-1200 |
Place | |
Locale Reference | 4B6.Airport |
State Reference | NY |
Environment | |
Flight Conditions | VMC |
Person 1 | |
Function | Pilot Not Flying |
Qualification | Flight Crew Private |
Events | |
Anomaly | Deviation - Procedural Published Material / Policy |
Narrative:
Ticonderoga municipal airport (4b6) is a small rural airport in upstate ny. We have had problems with townspeople gaining access to the field by entering the gate code and walking on the ramp. When someone is there and confronts these individuals they are obnoxious and refuse to leave. When the local police are called they do nothing. A trespasser with an unleashed dog entered onto the ramp while an aircraft was taxiing to the fuel pad. I informed him that he could not be on the ramp and I was told in no uncertain terms he could do whatever he liked. The police were called and did nothing. The individual told the officer that he had permission to walk inside the fence. I pursued this and indeed confirmed that he permission to walk inside the secure area without explanation as to why he would do so. The simple solution it would seem is to change the gate code. Since this airport is unattended it would make gaining entry difficult for pilots. Currently the code is displayed on the inside of the gate on the back of the door. It is almost a certainty that whatever code is used would be discovered by the trespassers so a constant changing of the gate code is not practical. What is practical is to enforce the signage at the airport which clearly states no pedestrians are allowed beyond the fence/gate. As a pilot I have seen some of these individuals on the taxiway while I was doing touch and goes.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: General aviation pilot reported trespassing issues at a rural airport 4B6; which pose a safety hazard for pilots.
Narrative: Ticonderoga Municipal Airport (4B6) is a small rural airport in Upstate NY. We have had problems with townspeople gaining access to the field by entering the gate code and walking on the ramp. When someone is there and confronts these individuals they are obnoxious and refuse to leave. When the local police are called they do nothing. A trespasser with an unleashed dog entered onto the ramp while an aircraft was taxiing to the fuel pad. I informed him that he could not be on the ramp and I was told in no uncertain terms he could do whatever he liked. The police were called and did nothing. The individual told the officer that he had permission to walk inside the fence. I pursued this and indeed confirmed that he permission to walk inside the secure area without explanation as to why he would do so. The simple solution it would seem is to change the gate code. Since this airport is unattended it would make gaining entry difficult for pilots. Currently the code is displayed on the inside of the gate on the back of the door. It is almost a certainty that whatever code is used would be discovered by the trespassers so a constant changing of the gate code is not practical. What is practical is to enforce the signage at the airport which clearly states no pedestrians are allowed beyond the fence/gate. As a pilot I have seen some of these individuals on the taxiway while I was doing touch and goes.
Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.