Federal authorities plan to investigate a security breach at Charlottesville Albemarle Airport involving a car going onto the runway.
Police tell media outlets that a car driven by 33-year-old Christina Jewell of Charlottesville crashed through a chain-link security fence and ran onto the runway around 1 a.m. Wednesday.
Police charged Jewell with driving under the influence and reckless driving.
U.S. Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman Lisette Garcia told The Daily Progress that the agency will investigate the incident.
In the event of a breach, the TSA refers to the airport's security plan, which the federal agency must approve, Garcia said.
Airport spokesman Jason Burch said that no fence is designed to withstand the velocity of an oncoming car.
“We take every case seriously, but approach it with common sense,” he told the newspaper. “There's a difference between if you had someone maliciously trying to get through versus if you have a car driven by someone who police say was drunk.”
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It's not unusual for an airport's perimeter to be breached by a vehicle accident. But the incident is believed to be the first at the Charlottesville Albemarle Airport in which someone reached the runway, said airport Executive Director Melinda Crawford.
