The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors directed the Department of Public Works to begin identifying what data and documents would be required to begin the process of requesting that the Federal Aviation Administration close Pacoima’s Whiteman Airport.
The county has not yet decided whether to initiate such a request, but the motion approved on Tuesday, introduced by Supervisors Sheila Kuehl, who represents the area, lays the groundwork for such an action should such a recommendation move forward.
The action comes in response to multiple plane crashes, including one earlier this month, in which a Cessna 172 made an emergency landing onto a row of nearby tracks. Police managed to rescue the pilot and sole occupant of the wrecked aircraft moments before a Metrolink train slammed into it at full speed. That crash is under investigation by local and federal authorities.
In 2020, in response to earlier such crashes and other concerns raised by neighbors, the board passed a Kuehl-sponsored motion to create a Community Advisory Committee that has since spent several months assessing concerns raised by the airport’s continued operation.
Kuehl said the panel is charged with developing a “sustained management plan,” which will include assessments of noise pollution, exhaust, air quality and health risks.
The plan is also expected to plot out “how existing facilities could be used differently, such as a potential role in disaster operations, community emergency notification systems, creation of recreational amenities, landscape improvements, additional community benefits and Whiteman’s economic impact on the community,” according to Kuehl’s motion.
Such a plan could lead to the county considering launching the complex process of asking the the FAA to close the airport.
With the approval, Director of Public Works Mark Pestrella will report back in 60 days with the information needed to launch a closure effort, which would include:
- The history of the airport, including how the land was acquired and any previous federal grants or other government obligations;
- An assessment of Whiteman’s role in the community;
- A look at how the site fits into the network of other Southern California airports;
- An appraisal of the value of the facility and the land it sits on; and
- Suggested next steps in the process.
Earlier this month, U.S. Rep. Tony Cardenas sent a letter to the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board requesting a comprehensive safety review of the airport.
“The regularity of these incidents raises serious concerns for the safety of the communities and families surrounding Whiteman Airport, as well as the pilots, personnel and staff that have access to or are located at the airport,” wrote Cardenas, a Democrat whose 29th District includes Pacoima.
“Tragically, this latest incident reflects yet another example of the public safety threat Whiteman Airport continues to pose to my constituents, and why I’ve been a consistent voice for its closure,” Monica Rodriguez, Los Angeles City Councilwoman for the 7th District, said in a statement responding to the Jan. 9 crash.
Lawmakers and neighbors have also raised concern over other crashes:
- In 2020, a single-engine Cessna 182 approaching Whiteman knocked over power lines before falling onto parked cars on a residential street. That pilot, who died in the crash, was alone in the aircraft and a member of the Civil Air Patrol.
- In 2018, a 12-year-old was among two killed when a Cessna 150L that had taken off from Whiteman crashed into a building. The pilot, who also died, was a 60-year-old flight instructor, according to media reports.
