U.S. Department 

of Transportation 

Federal Aviation 

Administration 

April 7, 20 14 

Ms. Pat Apone, Airpott Director 

Horry County Airpmts 

I I 00 Jetport Road 

Myrtle Beach, SC 29577 

Dear Ms. Apone: 

Southern Region Airports Division 

1701 Columbia Ave. Atlanta, GA 30337-2747 

(404) 305-6700 FAX: (404) 305-6730 

Letter of Inquiry 

(Grand Strand Airport CRE) 

We are writing to express our concern about the number of Vehicle or Pedestrian Deviations that have 

occurred at Grand Strand Airport (CRE) from November I 0, 2013 through March 28, 2015. The 

purpose of this inquiry is to identify what actions Horry County is taking to address what we now 

consider a significant safety trend and accident precursors that must be mitigated. 

Summary of Incidents: 

• November 2, 2013 - Skydiver missed designated landing zone and crossed runway at mid-field. 

• January 26, 201 4 - Golf cart entered taxiway charlie and alpha to retrieve skydi ver that landed 

on taxiway alpha. 

• May I 0, 20 I 4 - Three skydivers landed in between runway 23 and taxiway alpha, then crossed 

taxiway alpha without clearance from air traffic control. 

• May 24, 2014 - Skydiver landed on the west side of runway 23 then crossed the runway and 

taxiway alpha on foot without clearance from air traffic control. 

• May 24, 201 4 - Skydiver landed on the west of runway 23 then crossed the runway on foot and 

returned to their facility via a golf cart that entered a taxiway without air traffic control 

clearance. · 

• March 15, 2015 - Parachutist landed outside designated drop zone, walked onto taxiway bravo 

then onto ramp without communicating with air traffic control. 

• March 28, 201 5 - Parachutist landed outside the landing zone on taxiway alpha between taxiway 

Charlie and taxiway delta without clearance from air traffic control. 

• April 5, 2015 - Aircraft observed a parachutist land outside the landing zone and walk across 

taxiway charlie without ATC authorization. 
The purpose of this inquiry is to determine if Grand Strand Airport (CRE) is safe ly operating in 

accordance with the County's federal airport obligations. This includes: 

• Grant Assurance 19, Operation and Maintenance, obligates the county to ensure that the airport 

and all facilities necessary to serve the aeronautica l users of the airport are operated at all times 

in a safe and serviceable condition. Furthermore, the county may not cause or permit any 

activity or action on the airport which would'interfere with its use for airport purposes. 

Please respond to the fo llowing questions within 15 days of receipt. 

I - Does CRE have rules and regulations regarding the management of ground operations in the 

airport movement area (Pedestrians and Vehicles)? 

2- Have these rules and regulations been updated or revised to include safety mitigation for the 

above safety events? 

3 - Does CRE have roles and responsibility training for the ground users with access to the 

movement area of the airport? How often are airport users trained? Have these ro les and 

responsibilities been updated en light of this trend? 

4- How does CRE enforce its rules and regulations? What are the sanctions for repeated 

violations of the airport rules and regulations? 

5 - What steps has CRE taken to address these Vehicle or Pedestrian Deviations? Has a riskbased safety plan been developed? 

Thank you for your attention to this matter. 

Sincerely, 

Heather Haney 

Compliance Specialist 

cc: Winsome A. Lenfert. Manager, Airports Division, Southern Region 

Steven E. Hicks, Deputy Manager, Airports Division, Southern Region 

Office of Airport Compliance 

Larry Clark, Manager, Atlanta Airports District Office