St. Petersburg, Florida -- Two plane crashes in the past month around Albert Whitted Airport have council members raising concerns about the safety of the small field in the heart of downtown.
City leaders say the crashes have been too close for comfort, and is why council members want to take a hard look at the crash data in the past five years to see if something more can be done before disaster strikes. Council members want to protect the people using the airport and the people enjoying the developing downtown.
A plane crash in the busy Vinoy Park in September nearly missed families and nearby condos. The plane had been approaching Albert Whitted.
Two weeks earlier, a banner plane took off from the waterfront airfield and plummeted into the bay killing the pilot.
Records from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association show there have been 42 crashes surrounding the city-owned airport since 1984, not including the most recent accident.
RELATED:Pilots association info on Albert Whitted
The council wants a committee to analyze the crashes to see if there are any common factors, like the age of the pilot or plane, that can improve safety.
"There have been a number of accidents recently and as we continue building around the airport our margin for safety is reduced," says council member Karl Nurse. "When you look at it, you'll see the largest number of issues have really been related to the advertising planes. The most recent crash is sort of an illustration of the problem you have, somebody who was a 70-year-old immature pilot, who had never flown here before, who ran out of gas. I'm not sure how you regulate that you have to be confident and not run out of gas."
It's been a decades-old debate, whether the downtown waterfront airport is the right location for the airport.
RESEARCH:FAA accident database
The FAA has fought to keep it open. Voters decided to save it in 2003.
"I do think the airport is there because an overwhelming majority of the public want to see it there. It's my responsibility as an elected city official to make sure it's being run in a safe way," says council member Darden Rice. "We've had some elderly pilots involved in some pretty serious accidents. We've also had two accidents involving teenagers. I also want us to get a better picture to determine if there's any patterns, and if those patterns tell us anything."
Right now, the council wants to do this safety study before deciding how it fits into the city's waterfront master plan.
RELATED: Crashes raise safety concerns
- Source: http://www.wtsp.com
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