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Plane crash renews concern over Santa Monica Airport runway

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SANTA MONICA, Calif. (KABC) -- A plane crash in Santa Monica renewed concerns for some residents who say an airport runway is too close to their homes. The plane came to rest in the backyard of a home at 21st and Navy streets and is owned by Hollywood actress Rachel Blanchard. She was not home when the plane came crashing down Monday. (abclocal.go.com) More...

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dmanuel
dmanuel 0
I see reports, almost weekly, where a car/truck has run off a road, crashing into a home or business (in some cases bursting into flame). I have yet to see those residents demand the closure of the street or banning vehicles from using them.
linbb
linbb 0
Yup you are so right they move in then gripe about the noise and such. One litte airplane crashes and all hell breaks loose calls for airplanes to quit flying they will kill someone and such. Seen many car and truck wrecks that have caused deaths and property distruction but no call for the roads to be taken out.
preacher1
preacher1 0
Yeah, this same sentiment came out in an FA comment string, although I don't know why in an aviation forum, when FA posted the story about the new 747 certification last week. Somebody lived on one of the flight paths in/out of O'Hare and said they hoped they kept them out of there. Be it Airport,railroad, or noxious odor out of some type plant, most of those things were there long before houses were ever built. I guess they think such a massive facilty can pick up and move just like that, and then when they try to, look at the example of Reagan and Dulles, they won't close the old one down because of the outcry. Catch 22.
jcarey805
Jeff Carey 0
Airport got there first. Buyer beware. I flew out of SM in the 60s and no homes were close.
preacher1
preacher1 0
Look at KPHX; used to be a lot of Desert out there in 69-70. Wall to wall houses now
jcarey805
Jeff Carey 0
We live in Paso Robles, CA. No single family dwellings allowed within 2 mile radius of any runway. Used Santa Monica as an example of poor planning.
zcolescott
Same thing with KDEN. They specifically built it where it was to be far away from homes/neighborhoods. Now, what do you find springing up off of the departure/arrival end of some of the runways? Homes...wtf?

whip5209
Ken McIntyre 0
No sympathy here. The airport was there first. If you don't like the aircraft or the risk of living off of the end of a runway then......

MOVE!

Has anyone else on this post seen what is off of the end of the runway in Cebu, Philippines? One end, a road then ocean. Other end, poor housing district. No one complains, complaining is a waste of time and air.
preacher1
preacher1 0
I think the Pas Robles idea is a good one. I wish they had height restrictions out of San Diego.A lot of Airports do have air rights, but obviously with that parking garage, they don't. Somebody will get it one of these days.
alistairm
alistairm 0
@ Ken: I can tell you that at MNL, it is the same thing. When you are landing, the little shanty houses go right up against the fence. You could reach out and touch them!
Same thing occurs here in Montreal. Dorval, well before it got busy with air traffic, was an airport surrounded with fields. Now, there are houses right near the airport. Makes you wonder what people think when they buy a house there. It is these same people who have poped up in the news complaining about the noise. Well Enstein, why did you buy a house at the end of a runway???
jcarey805
Jeff Carey 0
Paso Robles has zoned the area within the 2 mile area as light industrial for Fed Ex et al who needs to be close to an airport but the people don't live or sleep there.
chiphermes
Chip Hermes 0
The city and neighborhoods have hated that airport for a long time, google a bit and you'll find that the city has been trying to destroy the airport for years.
BenKFIT
Ben Lillie 0
Those people don't know how lucky they are. I'd give anything to live that close to a runway.
lsh2429516
lsh2429516 0
I just hope the Santa Monica Airport does not become another "Meigs Field".
BoeingFan59
Troy Raiteri 0
@Ben Pretty much said what I was going to say. Those people either need to move or basically just quit moaning and groaning over a little plane crash. Isn't Los Angeles/Santa Monica wall to wall houses anyway? What do you expect?
linbb
linbb 0
Just wait Nancy P will jump in with equipment in the middle of the night and distroy the runway just like Meigs Field did.
ILSVector
Chris Lundberg 0
Yep, same old story. People build next to the airport, then complain about it. It still chaps me that the MAC here in MSP spent millions for noise insulation of homes that were built up around it.
conmanflyer
conmanflyer 0
@CHIP- the city has been trying to get rid of that airport for decades, i know a guy who used to fly out of there as a corporate pilot and he told me all the things SM has tried.
preacher1
preacher1 0
KCWS, Conway AR has a similar problem; got closed in; last crash and they finally decided to build a new one out South of town somewhere. They give a 5 year projection on getting it done. All well and good; problem is town is already headed that way.
tlkent2008
tlkent2008 0
DTW (Detroit) didn't have many homes around it in the 50s. But, they started building homes around it that were low priced. Once the homes started to fill up the owners complained that it was too noise and they wanted something done, so they restricted the hours?
meeverett
meeverett 0
You know I really hate those dern airports. They sneak in in the middle of the night right next to our homes. Then those planes, the ones that just "nose-dive" at random, show up and ruin the neighborhood.

In all seriousness, this became an issue with the bigger airport near where I live and they started buying the houses from the whiners and pushing them in with a bulldozer. In my opinion they should have condemned them instead of buying them.
6686L
SHOCKING - THESE DAMN PRIVATE PLANES CAN JUST GO WHERE THEY WANT. THE PROOF THAT THEY SHOULDNT BE ALLOWED, IS THAT THEY CRASH.

NOW, TO BE FAIR, I HAVE PERSONALLY WITNESSED THESE NASTY PRIVATE AUTOMOBILES ALSO RUNNING AROUND IN THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA, AND THEY CRASH TOO. I SAY, BAN EM ALL IN SANTA MONICA.

STOP THE CARNAGE. LET'S NOT DISCRIMINATE. BAN ALL PRIVATE VEHICLES IN SANTA MONICA !
CessnaPilot10
I hate the media. always critizizing (sorry i miss spelled it) aviation.
navydoc192
steven meyer 0
Well, If you are idiot to keep building homes closer and closer to the airport, it is TDB if a plane damages your home. People have been building closer and closer to airports and suddenly it is the fault of the airport that "it" is suddenly too close to their homes.
StymieHo
Chris Donawho 0
Oh no, they're threatening to move away. They must have forgotten their homes are worth 30% of what they bought them for. Sometimes I have to love a big fat recession.
preacher1
preacher1 0
I can't believe it; such a bunch of unsympathetic folks in this here aviation forum. shame on ya'll. lol
whip5209
Ken McIntyre 0
Yeah, I'm not sympathetic. And not just towards aviation issues. There were a bunch of new houses built next to a pig farm in my area. And guess what, the people complained. But the farmer was zoned OK and grandfathered in. The whining from the homeowners was hilarious. They tried water, chlorophyll tablets, perfume, you name it. Nothing worked. The farmer dug his heels in and the fight lasted for years. The farmer won. Still LMAO to this day. He finally sold the farm for a fortune and retired comfortably.
meeverett
meeverett 0
It's not just aviation issues for me either. There is a quarry around here that has been there since at least the 60s. Sometime in the 80s or 90s these people decided some awful clone-house neighborhood was better than the grass and trees that were growing there. Now they've got their houses built all around the quarry and they are complaining that all the blasting is causing them problems. The problem I have is that I liked the nice grassy fields that used to be where this neighborhood is, they moved in next to a quarry (what did they expect?), and it's going to take a ton of domestic laborers in this neighborhood to offset the job losses if the quarry were to shut down.

I don't know, maybe we're seeing it from the wrong angle. Is it possible that I should bring a lawsuit against my neighbors (all of whom have lived on this road longer than me) for driving cars I don't like and failing to landscape in a manner befitting my taste?
AZAFVET
Wayne Fox 0
Oh boo hoo, rent a truck and move. You knew the airport was there when you bought and I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't mentioned in your contract to buy or other documents. I understand there are some roads around there too better move way out in the country where you won't be bothered by cars. Oh no those pesky ATV's and the noise and dust. Better think of a houseboat but then there are those PWC's running around. You're screwed.
jzimmerman71
jzimmerman71 0
I've seen cars and trucks do more damage to homes. Maybe Santa Monica should close all the streets that pass by homes! I'll also echo the statement that the airport was there long before most of the homes and homeowners who are complaining. Airports grow just like any other source of economy. Don't build or move into a house at the end of the runway unless you can handle the growth and odds.
meagan
Michael Nadal 0
I am sure that the Airport was there long before prople moved into the area. If they are complaining about the aircraft operations and safety then move!

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