Palma: Car breaks through fence and stops just meters from runway

Narrow escape: Car stops just meters from the runway

What a shock while at the airport: On 7 September a car left the road near the access road to Palma's airport, tore away part of the security fence and only came to a stop a few meters past the protective fence — directly near the runway. Fortunately there were no reports of aircraft having to be diverted because of the incident.

Eyewitnesses report squealing tires and bright headlights around 02:30 a.m. A bus driver, who was operating a late route to Palma, said he was the first to notice the scene: "You just heard a crash, then the car was behind the fence. Pretty creepy."

The Guardia Civil apparently only found the vehicle hours later. According to police information several people were in the car; according to officers they are said to come from the Son Banya district and left the scene on foot after the impact. The driver was later identified.

How could this happen so close to the runway?

Authorities speak of dangerous driving as the cause. A security fence was damaged, forensic teams began work and secured tire marks, glass shards and vehicle parts. For residents on the access road this was not an everyday event: "You don't expect a car to fly this far," says a woman who happened to be out walking at night.

According to my information, airport operations were not greatly affected. Still, the incident has raised questions about security around the airport: How sturdy are fences and access barriers, and how fast does staff react in an incident?

Next steps

The police are continuing to investigate on suspicion of endangering air traffic and property damage. A technician team had to be dispatched at short notice to remove fence damage. If charges are brought, in addition to traffic offences more serious charges could come into play; until then details about the motives of the vehicle occupants remain vague.

I went to the airport fence around midday and inspected the impact site: disturbed earth, torn tread marks on the asphalt and a few scattered car parts. A security officer, who did not want to be named, dryly commented: "You rarely see something like this. And if you do, we always hope that no one is in a plane that is about to take off."

Many questions remain open. One thing is certain so far: it ended very luckily, but it was a close call. The investigations continue and the police promise to clarify the background.