Transient arrested on tarmac at Phoenix airport

[December 27, 2013]  By David Schwartz

PHOENIX (Reuters) — A homeless man was arrested after running onto the tarmac just after a Southwest Airlines plane landed at the Phoenix airport, police said on Thursday.

Robert Bump, 49, hit the plane with his hand before being taken into custody on the taxiway at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport at about 5:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday, said Officer James Holmes, a Phoenix police spokesman.

"He slapped the engine with his hand," Holmes said. "He really didn't do any damage."

The man had a history of alcohol-related arrests and authorities believe he may have been under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of the arrest, Holmes said.

Airport officials told police they saw Bump climb the fence at the airport, run onto the tarmac and taxiway and approach the Southwest Airlines plane as it stopped en route to the terminal, Holmes said.

The pilot was advised of the approaching man and turned off the aircraft's engines, Holmes said.

Bump was quickly apprehended, police said. He was booked on suspicion of entering a restricted area.

This was not the only incident involving unauthorized access to an airport facility this week. On Wednesday, an individual crossed a fence and made his way across two runways at New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport, authorities said on Thursday.

In a statement, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates area airports, said it was investigating the incident.

(Additional reporting by Edith Honan; editing by Gunna Dickson)

[© 2013 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2013 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.