Quarterly pilot seminars and upgrades to runway pavement and markings were among the recommendations included in a Los Angeles County staff report released on Wednesday on ways to bolster safety at Whiteman Airport in Pacoima, where a series of crashes in recent years has renewed questions about the facility’s future.
On May 5, the Board of Supervisors approved a motion by Supervisor Lindsey Horvath directing staff to prepare a report on immediate steps the county could potentially take to improve safety at the airport. The request came following an April 20 crash of a Cessna 172 small aircraft that struck a power pole while en route to the airport, knocking down power lines and leaving the plane overturned in the parking lot of an auto parts store. The pilot survived but was critically injured.
The county Department of Public Works on Monday submitted the report to the board.
The top recommendation in the document called for the county to sponsor quarterly Pilot Safety seminars.
“The Pilot Safety seminars will be structured as an ongoing, free, and accessible program for local pilots that reinforce a culture of safety while addressing the specific operational realities of the airport and surrounding airspace,” the report states. “The series will combine quarterly in-person seminars covering topics, such as airspace compliance, runway incursion avoidance, noise abatement procedures, weather, decision-making, human factors, and emerging safety technologies, among others. Presentations will feature a mix of (Federal Aviation Administration) representatives, experienced local flight instructors, air traffic controllers, and accident investigators to provide both regulatory context and real-world lessons learned.”
The seminar program was estimated to cost about $2,000 per year.
The report also proposed maintenance on runway and taxiway pavement at the airport, although it stressed that runways and taxiways are currently “safe, functional and satisfy FAA maintenance and design standards.”
But Public Works officials suggested rehabilitation of about 554,500 square feet of pavement, including crack-sealing, slurry sealing and new pavement markings.
“Ultimately, these improvements would enhance the airport*s primary aircraft movement areas and help ensure that runway and taxiway pavements and markings remain in a state of good repair consistent with FAA maintenance and design standards,” according to the report.
The project was estimated to cost about $5 million.
The report also suggested an enhanced community outreach program “to provide regular updates or public safety announcements to the community,” at a cost of about $500,000. It also suggested that a noise-compatibility study be conducted to identify “non-compatible land uses and airport activities.” The study cost was estimated at $1.5 million to $2.5 million.
The Board of Supervisors is expected to hold a discussion on the report in the coming weeks, according to Horvath’s office.
“The safety of our Pacoima community members is urgent and nonnegotiable,” Horvath said in a statement. “This report outlines immediate actions the county can take to strengthen safety, improve transparency, and continue direct engagement with residents as broader conversations about the airport’s future move forward. While the federal investigation remains ongoing, we owe our communities accountability and a continued commitment to pursuing every available measure to reduce risk and enhance safety in our community.”
The cause of the April 20 crash remains under investigation by federal officials.
In early 2022, the Board of Supervisors voted to explore the process involved in seeking a closure of the airport, should the county opt to pursue it. In January of that year, a plane landed on train tracks in the area and was struck by a Metrolink train. In November 2020, a plane crashed in a neighborhood near the runway, killing a Civil Air Patrol pilot.
In April 2022, a pilot died when a Cessna crashed alongside the Foothill (210) Freeway in the Sylmar area.
But while some area residents have pushed for the airport’s closure, supporters of the facility have insisted it plays a critical role in local aviation and can only be shuttered by the FAA — not the county.