In late April, a small plane crashed into a store parking lot near Whiteman Airport in Pacoima, raising concerns about the safety of the LA County owned and operated airport, resurrecting discussions about a possible closure.
The crash critically injured the pilot after the airplane struck a power pole, putting many households in the surrounding Pacoima community in the dark.
As a result, Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, who represents the San Fernando Valley, is calling for LA County Public Works to put in place more airport safety measures.
In a just-introduced board motion expected to be heard at the meeting of Tuesday, May 5, Horvath also is calling on the Federal Aviation Administration that oversees air traffic control operations, air space and airplane operations to conduct a full investigation of the crash. She’s also asking the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to speed up its ongoing investigation to find out what caused the accident.
Horvath wants federal guidance on what kinds of safety improvements can be added to prevent future incidents. “Residents deserve clear answers and confidence that every available safety measure is being considered,” Horvath said in a statement released Thursday, April 30.
Los Angeles County owns and maintains the airport. It has been the subject of safety concerns after other airplane accidents in and around the airport in the past decade.
In her letter to the NTSB, Horvath said the crash on April 20 not only injured the pilot, but “left the surrounding Pacoima community shaken and without power.”
Horvath’s letter to the FAA said they need to provide more answers in a more expeditious way. “There is limited clear information on what went wrong, including the factors that led the airplane to strike the power pole.” She said the “increased number of incidents in the last decade in and around the airport” calls for a formal FAA investigation.
The facts of the incident are not totally clear.
The private website tracking app Flight Aware said the aircraft took off from Whiteman Airport and crashed about a mile away from the runway. Other sources said the airplane crash landed upside down and bystanders rescued the pilot, who is 70 years old. The FAA statement said: “A Cessna 172 crashed in a parking lot in Pacoima, California, around 11:20 a.m. local time on Monday, April 20. Only the pilot was on board. The FAA will investigate.”
While some community members have called for the airport to close, citing environmental concerns and a 2020 fatal crash, airport pilots and other airport supporters say that is the wrong move.
“Since 2020, I have called for the closure of Whiteman Airport due to repeated plane crashes,” Los Angeles City Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez, who represents the 7th district, said on Monday, April 20, in a statement. “This county-owned airport is poorly managed and continues to place serious health and safety threats on the Pacoima community.”
The Whiteman Airport Coalition released a statement shortly after the crash, saying they support Horvath’s motion as well as her call for answers. Yet the group criticized the supervisor for freezing capital improvement projects that would have improved infrastructure and safety. These would have included undergrounding utilities and upgrading the airfield. “The kinds of improvements that directly affect safety and modernization,” the group concluded.
“Whiteman Airport is a critical public safety asset, supporting emergency and fire response, and a key economic engine for communities across the San Fernando Valley,” the coalition said.
Horvath is asking Public Works to report back to the board in a week on how long it would take and the cost of more safety measures. She’s asked the county to build on recommendations from the Community Advisory Committee.
Previously, the county introduced unleaded fuel and also implemented a voluntary nightly curfew from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. in 2024.