Vanquishing the V/PD

2nd Quarter 2018 

A quarterly publication from the

Safety Section

Federal Aviation Administration Airports Division

Western-Pacific Region

This publication is directed primarily towards airport management to be disseminated to 

all levels of personnel working at your airfield. Vanquishing the V/PD can be 

accomplished through a solid partnership between the FAA and airport management. The 

responsibility of making sure that the proper safeguards are in place, however, lies 

squarely on the shoulders of airport management. Please use this information and all that 

follows as a guide by which to provide a safer environment at your airfield.

Unauthorized pedestrians who climb airport perimeter fences remains a safety hazard that 

every airport, no matter how large, must cope with. Of the 89 Vehicle/Pedestrian 

Deviations (V/PDs) that occurred in the Western-Pacific Region in CY 2017, 10 (11%) 

were committed by fence jumpers. Of these 10 fence-jumper V/PDs, 8 resulted in runway 

incursions-one of which was a category A runway incursion. 

A determined pedestrian will successfully scale a perimeter fence regardless of how high 

it is or how many strands of barbed wire it is crowned with. There are, however, some 

precautions that an airport can take to minimize the success of the headstrong fence 

jumper: 

• Maintain your perimeter fence. Repair broken barbed wire strands, chain link 

fabric and any erosion of earth at the base of the fence. 

• Require that Airfield Operations, Airport Police and Airport Maintenance 

routinely patrol the perimeter fence. 

• Establish 10-20 foot clear zones on both sides of the fence. There should be no 

climbable objects, trees, or utility poles abutting the fence line nor areas with

stackable crates, pallets, storage containers, or other materials in the clear zone. 

Likewise, vehicles should not be parked along the fence. 

• Improve weak areas in your fencing that traverse flood control channels, drainage 

culverts and vehicle tunnels/bridges. 
• In unimproved areas, reinforce fencing that traverses streams, ravines or uneven 

terrain.

• Gates should close with less than 6-inch gaps (FAA CertAlert No. 16-03). 

Although this pertains to wildlife entry, pedestrians will find it difficult to take 

advantage of 6-inch gaps in gates and fence ends that abut buildings. 

https://www.faa.gov/airports/airport_safety/certalerts/

• If necessary, increase fence height, install additional barbed wire strands and/or 

install additional razor wire topping. 

• Install the strongest perimeter fencing in areas that face correctional facilities, 

schools or police stations as these areas of the fence are encountered first by 

individuals exiting these institutions. These individuals are most likely to take 

short cuts across airport property during their travels. 

• Consult Vanquishing the VPD – 3rd Quarter 2015 (all publications referenced in 

this publication are valid with the exception that FAA CertAlert 04-16 has been 

replaced by FAA CertAlert 16-03)

http://www.faa.gov/airports/western_pacific/airports_news_events/vanquishing_v

pd_newsletters/

Regardless of whether your fence-jumping trespasser is a homeless person, a student, a 

fleeing criminal, an illegal alien, mentally challenged, intoxicated, high on drugs, intent 

on committing suicide or a Marine recruit, definite precautions can be taken to keep these 

individuals from scaling your perimeter fence and trespassing on your airport. 

Column written by: 

Steven Oetzell

Lead Airport Certification Safety Inspector, AWP-620.6 

Reproductions of this, past and subsequent issues of Vanquishing the VPD are available 

on FAAWebsite: 

http://www.faa.gov/airports/western_pacific/airports_news_events/vanquishing_vpd_new

sletters/