Narrative:

This was my first operation into ocean reef in several years and I am reminded about how small the safety margins are when operating at that airport. The first issue is that there is very limited information about the airport available to the crew using normal means. The airport is VFR only so it is not in the commercial chart 1 and it is private so it is not listed in the AFD. Before the flight to ocean reef; I printed off an online sites information for the airport and reviewed it with my first officer. He had been there many times before so he was familiar with the problems at the airport. I had been there 3 times previously; so I also am aware of the difficult operating environment. The main concern I have with ocean reef is the width of the airport and the numerous obstructions located close to the sides of the runway. The width is marked at 70 ft wide; for your reference the sovereign is 64 ft wide. It is hard to tell the exact runway width by looking at it; but it appears to actually be closer to 100 ft wide; however; there are runway lights before you reach the edge of the pavement; thus possibly leading to the 70 ft noted width. However; on both sides there are numerous obstructions in some case only 20 ft from the runway edge. Down the north side of the runway there is a long row of bushes and right past that; palm trees. On the south side; numerous airplanes in some cases parked less than 10 ft from the runway edge. We were there on a day where there was non-stop traffic in and out. There were several airplanes holding in the air; waiting on a parking spot to open up. There were owners driving themselves on the ramp and numerous people walking along the runway's edge to different airplanes. There were ramp personnel working; just not enough to supervise everyone. The best way I can describe it was it felt like an aircraft carrier. There was an owner driving to the airplane next to us and about 50 ft away with no safety protection a falcon 50 was touching down. It literally looked like the scene from a carrier flight deck movie. If a child or dog jumped out of the van toward the runway; there would have been no time to react. It goes without saying that there is very little in the way of a safety margin operating at this airport. A blown tire or a strong gust of wind that only pushed an airplane half way off the runway could end up hurting numerous people; as there is no room for error. Also of note; it would be next to impossible to judge the distance persons or objects are to the runway from downwind or on final; assistance is needed from the ground. Suggestions: 1) I would suggest a safety audit that takes place on a busy day with lots of aircraft activity. I think it is important to note how slim the margins are for safe operation with a high number of aircraft operating. 2) issue recommendations to the airport aircraft operator to remove all non-necessary obstructions that are less than 50 ft from the runway edge. The airport needs to be operated as an airport; not a golf course. 3) require all passengers to be escorted at all times when on the ramp. Limit driving to airport personnel only. 4) provide detailed photos and airport information to crews operating in and out of this airport. Preferably include it in the commercial chart 1. 5) ensure airport personnel are available to do a safety inspection before each arrival to ensure the runway safety area is clear.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CE680 Captain reports obstructions and chaotic conditions on the ramp at Ocean Reef airport; 07FA.

Narrative: This was my first operation into Ocean Reef in several years and I am reminded about how small the safety margins are when operating at that airport. The first issue is that there is very limited information about the airport available to the crew using normal means. The airport is VFR only so it is not in the Commercial Chart 1 and it is private so it is not listed in the AFD. Before the flight to Ocean Reef; I printed off an online sites information for the airport and reviewed it with my First Officer. He had been there many times before so he was familiar with the problems at the airport. I had been there 3 times previously; so I also am aware of the difficult operating environment. The main concern I have with Ocean Reef is the width of the airport and the numerous obstructions located close to the sides of the runway. The width is marked at 70 FT wide; for your reference the Sovereign is 64 FT wide. It is hard to tell the exact runway width by looking at it; but it appears to actually be closer to 100 FT wide; however; there are runway lights before you reach the edge of the pavement; thus possibly leading to the 70 FT noted width. However; on both sides there are numerous obstructions in some case only 20 FT from the runway edge. Down the north side of the runway there is a long row of bushes and right past that; palm trees. On the south side; numerous airplanes in some cases parked less than 10 FT from the runway edge. We were there on a day where there was non-stop traffic in and out. There were several airplanes holding in the air; waiting on a parking spot to open up. There were owners driving themselves on the ramp and numerous people walking along the runway's edge to different airplanes. There were Ramp personnel working; just not enough to supervise everyone. The best way I can describe it was it felt like an aircraft carrier. There was an owner driving to the airplane next to us and about 50 FT away with no safety protection a Falcon 50 was touching down. It literally looked like the scene from a carrier flight deck movie. If a child or dog jumped out of the van toward the runway; there would have been no time to react. It goes without saying that there is very little in the way of a safety margin operating at this airport. A blown tire or a strong gust of wind that only pushed an airplane half way off the runway could end up hurting numerous people; as there is no room for error. Also of note; it would be next to impossible to judge the distance persons or objects are to the runway from downwind or on final; assistance is needed from the ground. Suggestions: 1) I would suggest a safety audit that takes place on a busy day with lots of aircraft activity. I think it is important to note how slim the margins are for safe operation with a high number of aircraft operating. 2) Issue recommendations to the airport aircraft operator to remove all non-necessary obstructions that are less than 50 FT from the runway edge. The airport needs to be operated as an airport; not a golf course. 3) Require all passengers to be escorted at all times when on the ramp. Limit driving to airport personnel only. 4) Provide detailed photos and airport information to crews operating in and out of this airport. Preferably include it in the Commercial Chart 1. 5) Ensure airport personnel are available to do a safety inspection before each arrival to ensure the runway safety area is clear.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.