Originally I thought I would blast jiggy for voicing the typical non-pilot irrational fear of aircraft and airports. However, when I began a little internet research to back up my views, I was surprised by what I found: there’s something not quite right about Palomar Airport.
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What surprised me was the number of accidents at Palomar. I checked the NTSB database for the past 10 years. There were 6 accidents with 16 fatalities. Contrast that with a Montgomery field, which is a busier airport (671 operations ber day versus 591 at Palomar) with a bit more complex surrounding airspace. Montgomery had 1 accident with 2 fatalities — and that one occurred in 1999.
Statistically, this shows an astounding concentration of accidents at Palomar. It has the same precision approach (ILS) as Montgomery, roughly the same control tower hours, the same approach control, and yet nearly an order of magnitude more accidents and fatalities.
I think jiggy’s right — there’s something wrong with Palomar. Unless there’s some form of mass stupidity affecting only the pilots flying into Palomar, the FAA needs to study Palomar procedures and change things.[/quote]
Wow, I started poking around and found all the fatalities….funny thing is I was living just up the road a few miles during all of those listed below and don’t remember a thing about them!! The mind is an odd contraption.
– On January 24, 2006 a Cessna Citation V landing runway 24 on a flight from Friedman Memorial Airport in Hailey, Idaho burst into flames after crashing into a self-storage facility adjacent to the airport. All four aboard (two passengers and two crew) were killed;
– On April 29, 2007 a Cessna 182 Skylane carrying three people crashed about 1-mile (1.6 km) off the shore shortly after takeoff at 9:30 am.
– On July 3, 2007 a Beechcraft 90 King Air carrying two people crashed after taking off shortly after 6 am in dense fog. The aircraft hit power lines, which caused power outages for local residents and businesses. The two on board died
– On April 19, 2008 a Cessna Citation Mustang skidded off the end of runway 24 and collapsed the main landing gear. The aircraft had four on board, who were uninjured. The Mustang had flown from Lincoln Regional Airport, northeast of Sacramento, California.
– On September 22, 2008 a Cessna 152 crashed just west of College Boulevard on the extended centerline after departing runway 24. The aircraft had two on board, who were both injured and evacuated by air.
– On September 28, 2008 a Beechcraft Bonanza crashed southeast of the airport after the pilot aborted a landing attempt in fog. The pilot was alone and was killed.
This seems like quite a cluster in 2 and a half years, so I poked around more and found this:
Dwight Webster … noted that there have been five fatal accidents, accounting for 13 deaths, at or near the airport since 2002.
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The FAA is concerned about a recent cluster of three accidents in 19 months. He said the fatalities involve pilots and passengers, and that no one on the ground has been killed.
“The fact is, Palomar is a challenging airport,” Gregor said, noting that early-morning fog and winds can play tricks on pilots.
“We’ve taken steps to address the issue, gone out to flight schools and briefings out there” to be more safety-conscious, Gregor said.
All the accidents since 2002 were attributable to pilot error, according to a National Transportation Safety Board database. In one instance, a tower operator contributed by failing to alert pilots that they were on a collision course.
