Lesson Learned: Pontiacs Can't Fly

Cars and runways don't mix... and can lead to hard landings, and hard time.

Police in Tacoma, WA say two men drove a Pontiac Grand Am to Tacoma Narrows Airport (TIW) early Sunday morning, opened a gate and and took off -- so to speak -- for the airport's 5,000' by 150' runway.

Both men worked at the airport, Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum told The Associated Press, and had authorization to be on the ramp... if not to attempt a high-speed run along the runway.

Fulghum said the car ran off the end of the runway at about 2:30 am, leading the driver to lose control and roll the car. Both men suffered non-threatening injuries, and were transported to an area hospital after the 27-year-old passenger, a contract worker at the airport, called for help.

The 21-year-old driver is in police custody, according to news reports.

PAVCO Flight Center owner Mike Pickett told the Tacoma News-Tribune the driver had worked as a ramp worker at the airport about a year, adding the man was "a good employee" and a "really sharp kid." Pickett later said what the man did was "a foolish thing to do."

Officials believe alcohol was a factor.

FMI: www.tacomapolice.org