What Stop sign?

 

The airport is in Texas and the Texas Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) states:

 

Standard:

14

 

Except at the ends of aisles in parking lots, the word STOP shall not be used on the pavement unless accompanied by a stop line (see Section 3B.16) and STOP sign (see Section 2B.05). At the ends of aisles in parking lots, the word STOP shall not be used on the pavement unless accompanied by a stop line.

15

 

The word STOP shall not be placed on the pavement in advance of a stop line, unless every vehicle is required to stop at all times

[The emphasis is the original]

 

I can't see either a stop line or a stop sign in the Google Earth photographs. Also the letters don't look to be 6 ft or more in haight which is also required . The markings are meaningless - where is the driver told where to stop and then what he should he do?

 

Also the word aircraft desn't appear anywhere in the Manual so there's no requirement for highway traffic to give way to aircraft in the air.

 

AirNav records that for Runway 17

 

Displaced threshold: 400 ft.

 

Obstructions: 10 ft. hill, 200 ft. from runway

ROAD 30 FT FM END OF RUNWAY.

 

Note the use of capitals to emphasise the obstruction caused by the road.

 

For those unaware of the connection btween obstacles and displaced thresholds the AAIB report (linked in post #168) reads:

 

As a private flight, the aircraft was not required to use the marked threshold, but any attempt to land at the start of the paved surface would have lost the measure of obstacle protection afforded by the displaced threshold.

 

In the present case the pilot lost the measure of obstacle protection by choosing not to use the displaced threshold. His choice - his fault.

The NTSB just recently released the probable cause of this accident.  Because of the discussion in this thread and how so many wanted to fault the driver of the SUV, I decided to post the following...

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:

The student pilot's failure to maintain clearance from obstacles on the runway approach path. Contributing to the accident was the airport management's decision to relocate the runway displaced threshold, which did not provide an adequate safety margin for approaching aircraft, and the automobile driver's inadequate lookout for approaching aircraft before crossing the runway's approach path.

The Full Narrative can be found here.

Thanks, Rob.  I *told* you it was everyone's fault!

 

Hook