SPOKANE — Perimeter security was breached five times in the past decade at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, including twice last year, according to an Associated Press investigation.
Last October, an intoxicated 22-year-old woman drove a car through a guarded gate, then to a terminal gate, near where planes with passengers were taxiing. The month before, an airport worker found a man who had jumped a fence walking on a taxiway.
The perimeter security fences or gates surrounding Portland International Airport were also breached five times over the past decade.
Only one Portland breach ended with an arrest. That was in 2007, when a man climbed a fence to enter the airfield.
The most recent incident happened in October 2013, when a man mistakenly drove through a gate left open for a construction project.
The incidents at Seattle-Tacoma, according to incident reports obtained under records requests, were:
• On Oct. 25, a 22-year-old woman drove a car through a guarded gate, striking an exiting airport vehicle. She then drove to a terminal. Arresting authorities said she and her passenger were visibly intoxicated. “I am so dumb,” the driver told officers. “My mom is going to kill me.”
• On Sept. 8, an airport worker found a 26-year-old man walking on a taxiway. He had jumped a security fence about 300 feet away from a terminal gate. He told officers he wanted to catch a flight to the Philippines.
• On June 22, 2009, a mother threw a pack of cigarettes to her son, who was working inside the secure area.
• On Dec. 3, 2006, a man told authorities he was “having a bad night” and “just felt like crashing through some gates.” He did so in a 2003 BMW.
• On Oct. 20, 2005, a person was found walking inside a secure area.
