In a new report about a near-collision between a plane and snowplow at Denver International Airport in February, the National Transportation Safety Board found that the plow driver crossed the runway in front of a United Airlines jet “without clearance from air traffic control or airport operations.”
“The driver said he saw the landing airplane as he was crossing the runway and increased acceleration,” the NTSB report said of the Feb. 2 incident.
Pilots of the United plane said they saw the plow “holding short” of a taxiway that runs parallel to the runway. “They landed and during the rollout, they observed the snowplow cross the runway in front of them,” the federal safety report said.
In crossing the taxiway and runway without permission, the plow driver violated every procedure and training protocol DIA has to ensure that such an event does not occur, said John Kinney, the airport’s deputy manager for operations.
“Appropriate personnel action was taken, and he no longer works for the city,” DIA spokeswoman Sally Covington said of the plow driver.
In the wake of the incident, DIA has made its training program for driving on the airfield more rigorous, Kinney said.
DIA has hired more trainers, produced a video on proper driving techniques, added warning signs at key intersections and tested the use of airport driving simulators, he said.
DIA also is trying to reduce the number of employees cleared to drive on the airfield, Kinney said.
