Narrative:

I flew up to sea with 2 other interns for a tour of the boeing plant. After the boeing tour I was able to arrange a tour of an aviation facility at sea. Miss xx, a fellow intern, and I had an XA30 appointment to meet with the chief pilot. Aviation facility supplied me a photocopy of directions to their on-field office and hangar. The written instructions terminate with 'follow the road to the end and the aviation facility building in on the r- hand side.' the road was a standard width 2-LANE road. We drove for about 1/4 mi and passed through an open gate. My impression was of a standard 9 to 5 gate located on the corporate side of the field. There was a truck parked on the other side of the gate displaced approximately 15 ft back from the road and directly in front of a port-a-john. As I passed through the gate the security officer made no gesture at all, she simply sat in her truck and watched us drive through. The passage was markedly uneventful. We then drove for approximately another mi, as we crested a hill we were confronted with a sign saying, 'yield to all aircraft.' it was at this point I first realized we were not in the correct location. I mentioned this to miss xx and she concurred. I was about to execute a u-turn when I noticed a van approaching with lights flashing. I rolled down my window and explained we were looking for the aviation facility. The driver informed us that we had passed the aviation facility and to please pull off the road and wait in the car. I complied. In under 1/2 min several more vehicles arrived with lights flashing and surrounded our vehicle. At this point we kept our hands visible and sat patiently in the vehicle. After the officers spoke with the van driver, they approached our car and asked for identify. Both miss xx and I produced our driver's licenses. I also produced my company identify badge. I was then asked if I worked at an airport to which I responded yes. I was then told I should know better. I explained we were following the aviation facility directions which said to drive to the end of the road. I was asked why I did not stop at the gate, to which I responded that it wasn't apparent I had to stop, or even slow down. He asked if there was a stop sign posted, I replied no. The gate guard was then called via hand-held radio, the gate guard confirmed there was no stop sign. He then asked why I did not stop for the guard. I said the guard was 15 ft off the road sitting in her truck, next to the port-a-john. The conclusion I drew was not one of the gate being guarded. Miss xx commented she never saw the guard. The officer asked if there was anyone standing in the road by the gate, I replied no. The officer responded with a disapproving, 'hmmmmmmm.' the guards then huddled around a security vehicle while they checked our idents. After several mins the mood seemed to change and they began joking and smiling with one another. Senior airport supervisor approached our car and said it was apparent to everyone this was an honest mistake. He said they should have had signs posted, and a guard stationed in the road. There was airport construction taking place and they were transporting dirt and material in and out of the gate. He informed me that normally the gate is always closed, and is considered the end of the road as far as the aviation facility would be concerned. I was then informed a far violation had occurred and he would be reporting the incident to the FAA. He said no local action would be taken, but a report did need to be filed. With his business card in hand, we were escorted back to the gate. The gate guard now had the vehicle parked so it was blocking the lane exiting the airport boundary. The guard was leaning against the tailgate, and in excellent position to intercept all incoming traffic. We drove past the gate to the aviation facility and received an outstanding 2 hour tour of the facility.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: RPTR DRIVING ON ARPT GOES THROUGH AN OPEN GATE AND ENTERS AREA OF ACFT MOVEMENT. SECURITY GUARDS SURROUND RPTR'S CAR AND DETAIN HIM TO INVESTIGATE.

Narrative: I FLEW UP TO SEA WITH 2 OTHER INTERNS FOR A TOUR OF THE BOEING PLANT. AFTER THE BOEING TOUR I WAS ABLE TO ARRANGE A TOUR OF AN AVIATION FACILITY AT SEA. MISS XX, A FELLOW INTERN, AND I HAD AN XA30 APPOINTMENT TO MEET WITH THE CHIEF PLT. AVIATION FACILITY SUPPLIED ME A PHOTOCOPY OF DIRECTIONS TO THEIR ON-FIELD OFFICE AND HANGAR. THE WRITTEN INSTRUCTIONS TERMINATE WITH 'FOLLOW THE ROAD TO THE END AND THE AVIATION FACILITY BUILDING IN ON THE R- HAND SIDE.' THE ROAD WAS A STANDARD WIDTH 2-LANE ROAD. WE DROVE FOR ABOUT 1/4 MI AND PASSED THROUGH AN OPEN GATE. MY IMPRESSION WAS OF A STANDARD 9 TO 5 GATE LOCATED ON THE CORPORATE SIDE OF THE FIELD. THERE WAS A TRUCK PARKED ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE GATE DISPLACED APPROX 15 FT BACK FROM THE ROAD AND DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF A PORT-A-JOHN. AS I PASSED THROUGH THE GATE THE SECURITY OFFICER MADE NO GESTURE AT ALL, SHE SIMPLY SAT IN HER TRUCK AND WATCHED US DRIVE THROUGH. THE PASSAGE WAS MARKEDLY UNEVENTFUL. WE THEN DROVE FOR APPROX ANOTHER MI, AS WE CRESTED A HILL WE WERE CONFRONTED WITH A SIGN SAYING, 'YIELD TO ALL ACFT.' IT WAS AT THIS POINT I FIRST REALIZED WE WERE NOT IN THE CORRECT LOCATION. I MENTIONED THIS TO MISS XX AND SHE CONCURRED. I WAS ABOUT TO EXECUTE A U-TURN WHEN I NOTICED A VAN APCHING WITH LIGHTS FLASHING. I ROLLED DOWN MY WINDOW AND EXPLAINED WE WERE LOOKING FOR THE AVIATION FACILITY. THE DRIVER INFORMED US THAT WE HAD PASSED THE AVIATION FACILITY AND TO PLEASE PULL OFF THE ROAD AND WAIT IN THE CAR. I COMPLIED. IN UNDER 1/2 MIN SEVERAL MORE VEHICLES ARRIVED WITH LIGHTS FLASHING AND SURROUNDED OUR VEHICLE. AT THIS POINT WE KEPT OUR HANDS VISIBLE AND SAT PATIENTLY IN THE VEHICLE. AFTER THE OFFICERS SPOKE WITH THE VAN DRIVER, THEY APCHED OUR CAR AND ASKED FOR IDENT. BOTH MISS XX AND I PRODUCED OUR DRIVER'S LICENSES. I ALSO PRODUCED MY COMPANY IDENT BADGE. I WAS THEN ASKED IF I WORKED AT AN ARPT TO WHICH I RESPONDED YES. I WAS THEN TOLD I SHOULD KNOW BETTER. I EXPLAINED WE WERE FOLLOWING THE AVIATION FACILITY DIRECTIONS WHICH SAID TO DRIVE TO THE END OF THE ROAD. I WAS ASKED WHY I DID NOT STOP AT THE GATE, TO WHICH I RESPONDED THAT IT WASN'T APPARENT I HAD TO STOP, OR EVEN SLOW DOWN. HE ASKED IF THERE WAS A STOP SIGN POSTED, I REPLIED NO. THE GATE GUARD WAS THEN CALLED VIA HAND-HELD RADIO, THE GATE GUARD CONFIRMED THERE WAS NO STOP SIGN. HE THEN ASKED WHY I DID NOT STOP FOR THE GUARD. I SAID THE GUARD WAS 15 FT OFF THE ROAD SITTING IN HER TRUCK, NEXT TO THE PORT-A-JOHN. THE CONCLUSION I DREW WAS NOT ONE OF THE GATE BEING GUARDED. MISS XX COMMENTED SHE NEVER SAW THE GUARD. THE OFFICER ASKED IF THERE WAS ANYONE STANDING IN THE ROAD BY THE GATE, I REPLIED NO. THE OFFICER RESPONDED WITH A DISAPPROVING, 'HMMMMMMM.' THE GUARDS THEN HUDDLED AROUND A SECURITY VEHICLE WHILE THEY CHKED OUR IDENTS. AFTER SEVERAL MINS THE MOOD SEEMED TO CHANGE AND THEY BEGAN JOKING AND SMILING WITH ONE ANOTHER. SENIOR ARPT SUPVR APCHED OUR CAR AND SAID IT WAS APPARENT TO EVERYONE THIS WAS AN HONEST MISTAKE. HE SAID THEY SHOULD HAVE HAD SIGNS POSTED, AND A GUARD STATIONED IN THE ROAD. THERE WAS ARPT CONSTRUCTION TAKING PLACE AND THEY WERE TRANSPORTING DIRT AND MATERIAL IN AND OUT OF THE GATE. HE INFORMED ME THAT NORMALLY THE GATE IS ALWAYS CLOSED, AND IS CONSIDERED THE END OF THE ROAD AS FAR AS THE AVIATION FACILITY WOULD BE CONCERNED. I WAS THEN INFORMED A FAR VIOLATION HAD OCCURRED AND HE WOULD BE REPORTING THE INCIDENT TO THE FAA. HE SAID NO LCL ACTION WOULD BE TAKEN, BUT A RPT DID NEED TO BE FILED. WITH HIS BUSINESS CARD IN HAND, WE WERE ESCORTED BACK TO THE GATE. THE GATE GUARD NOW HAD THE VEHICLE PARKED SO IT WAS BLOCKING THE LANE EXITING THE ARPT BOUNDARY. THE GUARD WAS LEANING AGAINST THE TAILGATE, AND IN EXCELLENT POS TO INTERCEPT ALL INCOMING TFC. WE DROVE PAST THE GATE TO THE AVIATION FACILITY AND RECEIVED AN OUTSTANDING 2 HR TOUR OF THE FACILITY.

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.