# Intruder halts jet takeoff



## Disenchantedsailor (23 Apr 2007)

Intruder halts jet takeoff
Plane departing Calgary airport forced to stop at 190 km/h after man wanders onto runway 
By NADIA MOHARIB, SUN MEDIA

Security was put to the test at the Calgary airport yesterday after eagle-eyed pilots spotted a man walking down the middle of a runway as a plane was set to take off. 

An Air Canada plane had just started its takeoff roll about 7:30 a.m. when the flight crew spotted an object in the distance, Calgary Airport Authority spokesman Bryce Paton said. 

At first it could not be determined if it was a person or an animal, but it "turned out to be a 31-year-old male who had jumped the fence and was standing in the middle of the runway," Paton said. 

Paton said the pilot quickly contacted air traffic control officials and the plane, which wasn't up to full speed, was safely stopped. 

The plane was reportedly travelling at 105 knots, or 190 km/h. 

There is 24-hour patrol of the perimeter for both people and wildlife, Paton said, but bad weather reduced visibility at the time of the breach and the man was not spotted as he scaled the fence. 

"We are very thankful due to the quick reactions of the pilots and (airport staff) no harm came to this person," he said. 

"However, it will be interesting to hear the results of the Calgary police investigation as to why he chose to climb the fence." 

Paton said there was a quick response with officials apprehending the man within 90 seconds of being spotted. 

"If an individual chooses to climb over a fence, we have people in place to react like they did," he said. 

Security at the airport has been under scrutiny recently after it was revealed CAA president and CEO Garth Atkinson penned an internal memo, obtained by the CBC, calling security screening levels at the facility the shoddiest in the country, mostly due to a lack of staff. 

This was after an incident last December that saw luggage loaded on a plane without its owners. 

Paton said in the latest incident he was told the man was apparently claiming "he was trying to catch a flight," but apparently had no ticket and no luggage with him. 

He was handed over to city police and was reportedly going to be sent for a psychiatric assessment. 

The man had climbed the fence on the west side of the airport's 20-km perimeter, Paton said, adding such an incident is almost unheard of, although several years ago a person suffering from diabetic complications passed out and drove through a fence. 

Paton said there appeared to be no hostile intent on the man's part. 

"I don't want to delve in to the mental state of mind, but it's certainly not normal behaviour." 

David Matthew Marisi, 31, has been charged under the Canadian Aviation Security Regulations of the Aeronautics Act with trespassing on an aerodrome. 

Link <http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Alberta/2007/04/23/pf-4113281.html>


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## NCRCrow (23 Apr 2007)

sounds like Kabul International......


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