Fuel-truck Safety

At a time of record passenger growth at Richmond International Airport Virginia, with hundreds of vehicles a day servicing over a hundred departing planes, management has become increasingly sensitive to the problem of ramp accidents. Those involving fuel-trucks have the greatest potential for catastrophe. In one 2006 accident, a truck with 2,900 gallons of jet fuel rolled into the back of a twin-engine Continental Express jet with 44 passengers emplaned. Later that year, a truck carrying 4000 gallons of jet fuel had struck a United Express jet. In the first accident it turned out the driver had fallen asleep at the wheel after working a graveyard shift for another employer. In mid-December a new set of safety and training rules was approved by the Capital Region Airport Commission and imposed upon the airport's major fueling operations - Million Air Richmond and Aero Industries. They authorized the board to ban an operator for up to a year in the event of a serious airport accident. The previous rules lacked any significant bite. The new rules apply to anyone who does business around aircraft, including construction companies and restaurant suppliers. Although the deterrent effect is now there, there have still been three minor infractions, so the jury's still out on whether it's been a good solution.

Aero Industries received a verbal caution Jan. 2 when a fuel-truck driver overrode the dead man's switch meant to stop equipment if an operator is incapacitated. Another warning was issued to Aero Industries on Feb. 14 when a driver failed to report striking an access card reader. Violations of the new rules can also lead to misdemeanor charges for individuals, punishable by jail terms of up to a year and fines as high as $2,500.