Narrative:

I was departing runway 33 at mt vernon airport when a blue pickup truck belonging to a construction company and driven by mr X crossed the runway at a very high rate of speed. We missed colliding by a very close margin. One witness said the margin was a thin coat of paint. This would have been a major disaster, had we collided as I was fully loaded. I believe an accident of this magnitude would have closed the runway. I have no doubt in my mind it would have been fatal for mr X and myself. It was so close and dramatic that after I landed I immediately stopped and asked who was driving the blue pickup truck. Mr X admitted that he was driving and sorry that he forgot to look and was in a hurry to get to the end of runway 23 to remove the 'X' on the end so that the airline could land. I was very upset and yelled at him and insisted that someone in authority/authorized position a flag man so this would never happen again. I returned to runway approximately 1 hour later on the day of the incident to depart with another load. I had to hold on the end of the runway for a blue van owned by FAA that was coming up runway 5 to the northeast across active runway 33. This van never stopped either! I believe I was in plain sight at the end of runway 33, positioned and revved for takeoff. In all my 34 yrs of flying I have never seen anything quite like this. I feel this not only jeopardized my safety but also anyone that flies or rides as a passenger in or out of mt vernon airport. As long as the situation exists, I believe this is an unsafe airport for operations until the problem is corrected. My next step was to call the FAA and report a near miss at an intersection. They advised me that the airport manager and the city were responsible for the operation and safety of the airport. After talking to the FAA, I talked with the airport manager, and I suggested to him that while construction was going on the airport needed a flag man for safety reasons. He assured me that he would have a flag man the next morning. As of this day, there is no flag man and several trucks, including the blue pickup truck, continue to cross the active runway several times daily without stopping and looking. It seems as though the proper auths need to take immediate action to ensure that a disaster similar to the one at quincy, il, does not happen again. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter states his aircraft is a big biplane with a large radial engine. There is a need to monitor the aircraft closely to maintain the centerline on takeoff. His concentration was straight down the runway when out of his peripheral vision he saw the truck, moving rapidly toward the runway. He still does not know how he missed hitting the truck. He has since noted that the wing did hit the top of the camper on the truck. Had they hit he is sure there would have been a fire. It still upsets him to talk about this incident. The other runway was closed for some construction on the runway lights, but the manager removes the 'X's so the airliner can land and takeoff, then replaces them. This airport has a history of a large amount of vehicle traffic but most of them drive more slowly and stop prior to crossing the active runway. Reporter was disturbed the FAA seemed disinterested in taking any action regarding ground operations at the airport. Reporter was informed of the FAA hotline number.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PF AN AG-CAT HAS NMAC WITH A VEHICLE XING THE ACTIVE RWY AT HIGH SPD AND NO EFFORT TO DETERMINE IF THE RWY IS CLR.

Narrative: I WAS DEPARTING RWY 33 AT MT VERNON ARPT WHEN A BLUE PICKUP TRUCK BELONGING TO A CONSTRUCTION COMPANY AND DRIVEN BY MR X CROSSED THE RWY AT A VERY HIGH RATE OF SPD. WE MISSED COLLIDING BY A VERY CLOSE MARGIN. ONE WITNESS SAID THE MARGIN WAS A THIN COAT OF PAINT. THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN A MAJOR DISASTER, HAD WE COLLIDED AS I WAS FULLY LOADED. I BELIEVE AN ACCIDENT OF THIS MAGNITUDE WOULD HAVE CLOSED THE RWY. I HAVE NO DOUBT IN MY MIND IT WOULD HAVE BEEN FATAL FOR MR X AND MYSELF. IT WAS SO CLOSE AND DRAMATIC THAT AFTER I LANDED I IMMEDIATELY STOPPED AND ASKED WHO WAS DRIVING THE BLUE PICKUP TRUCK. MR X ADMITTED THAT HE WAS DRIVING AND SORRY THAT HE FORGOT TO LOOK AND WAS IN A HURRY TO GET TO THE END OF RWY 23 TO REMOVE THE 'X' ON THE END SO THAT THE AIRLINE COULD LAND. I WAS VERY UPSET AND YELLED AT HIM AND INSISTED THAT SOMEONE IN AUTH POS A FLAG MAN SO THIS WOULD NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN. I RETURNED TO RWY APPROX 1 HR LATER ON THE DAY OF THE INCIDENT TO DEPART WITH ANOTHER LOAD. I HAD TO HOLD ON THE END OF THE RWY FOR A BLUE VAN OWNED BY FAA THAT WAS COMING UP RWY 5 TO THE NE ACROSS ACTIVE RWY 33. THIS VAN NEVER STOPPED EITHER! I BELIEVE I WAS IN PLAIN SIGHT AT THE END OF RWY 33, POSITIONED AND REVVED FOR TKOF. IN ALL MY 34 YRS OF FLYING I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING QUITE LIKE THIS. I FEEL THIS NOT ONLY JEOPARDIZED MY SAFETY BUT ALSO ANYONE THAT FLIES OR RIDES AS A PAX IN OR OUT OF MT VERNON ARPT. AS LONG AS THE SIT EXISTS, I BELIEVE THIS IS AN UNSAFE ARPT FOR OPS UNTIL THE PROB IS CORRECTED. MY NEXT STEP WAS TO CALL THE FAA AND RPT A NEAR MISS AT AN INTXN. THEY ADVISED ME THAT THE ARPT MGR AND THE CITY WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE OP AND SAFETY OF THE ARPT. AFTER TALKING TO THE FAA, I TALKED WITH THE ARPT MGR, AND I SUGGESTED TO HIM THAT WHILE CONSTRUCTION WAS GOING ON THE ARPT NEEDED A FLAG MAN FOR SAFETY REASONS. HE ASSURED ME THAT HE WOULD HAVE A FLAG MAN THE NEXT MORNING. AS OF THIS DAY, THERE IS NO FLAG MAN AND SEVERAL TRUCKS, INCLUDING THE BLUE PICKUP TRUCK, CONTINUE TO CROSS THE ACTIVE RWY SEVERAL TIMES DAILY WITHOUT STOPPING AND LOOKING. IT SEEMS AS THOUGH THE PROPER AUTHS NEED TO TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION TO ENSURE THAT A DISASTER SIMILAR TO THE ONE AT QUINCY, IL, DOES NOT HAPPEN AGAIN. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES HIS ACFT IS A BIG BIPLANE WITH A LARGE RADIAL ENG. THERE IS A NEED TO MONITOR THE ACFT CLOSELY TO MAINTAIN THE CTRLINE ON TKOF. HIS CONCENTRATION WAS STRAIGHT DOWN THE RWY WHEN OUT OF HIS PERIPHERAL VISION HE SAW THE TRUCK, MOVING RAPIDLY TOWARD THE RWY. HE STILL DOES NOT KNOW HOW HE MISSED HITTING THE TRUCK. HE HAS SINCE NOTED THAT THE WING DID HIT THE TOP OF THE CAMPER ON THE TRUCK. HAD THEY HIT HE IS SURE THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN A FIRE. IT STILL UPSETS HIM TO TALK ABOUT THIS INCIDENT. THE OTHER RWY WAS CLOSED FOR SOME CONSTRUCTION ON THE RWY LIGHTS, BUT THE MGR REMOVES THE 'X'S SO THE AIRLINER CAN LAND AND TKOF, THEN REPLACES THEM. THIS ARPT HAS A HISTORY OF A LARGE AMOUNT OF VEHICLE TFC BUT MOST OF THEM DRIVE MORE SLOWLY AND STOP PRIOR TO XING THE ACTIVE RWY. RPTR WAS DISTURBED THE FAA SEEMED DISINTERESTED IN TAKING ANY ACTION REGARDING GND OPS AT THE ARPT. RPTR WAS INFORMED OF THE FAA HOTLINE NUMBER.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 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.