Federal air-safety investigators said a Denver International Airport snowplow driver was at fault for a near-collision in February when he drove onto a runway in front of a United Airlines jet that had just landed.
In its final report on the Feb. 2 incident, the National Transportation Safety Board said the driver’s failure to follow correct procedures “by crossing an active runway without clearance” led to the near-collision.
Pilots of the United jet saw the snowplow cross in front of them, and they used “significant” reverse thrust and brakes to stop the plane short of the vehicle, the NTSB said.
The snowplow driver no longer works at DIA, said airport spokeswoman Sally Covington.
After the incident, DIA officials tightened procedures for driving on the airfield and upgraded driver training.
“We rapidly put some corrections into the field,” Covington said.
