[JYO] Town Leaders, Pilots Address Concerns Over Airplane Crashes..

from Leesburg Today..

<A 
HREF="http://www.leesburg2day.com/current.cfm?catid=1&newsid=6879";>http://www.leesburg2day.com/current.cfm?catid=1&newsid=6879</A>
 

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Town Leaders, Pilots Address Concerns Over Airplane Crashes
<A HREF="mailto:andrew@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx";>Andrew D. Parker</A> 

03/27/2003 -- Town leaders and experienced pilots sought Tuesday to soothe 
citizen concerns about Leesburg Executive Airport after a crash last week 
that stunned a community still reeling from a crash at the beginning of the 
month. There have been three fatal plane crashes in Leesburg over the past 
nine months. 

Franklin M. Rizer of Warren, OH, died in the March 20 crash of an Ovation2 
aircraft behind two houses on Whipp Drive, where several homes in the 
Stratford subdivision are currently under construction. The National 
Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash and a preliminary 
report was expected sometime this week. 

Donald W. Fitzpatrick of Reston, Gregory D. Jackson of Sterling and Bronson “
Ford” Byrd of Purcellville, died as a result of a March 1 crash of a six-seat 
TBM 700. The preliminary findings of the NTSB point to inclement weather and 
a sharp turn as factors in the crash. An NTSB final report for both recent 
crashes will be issued in six months to a year. 

James M. Scambos of Ashburn died in a July 6, 2002, crash of a Diamond DA 20. 
His son Paul was injured in the crash. An NTSB report on that crash seems to 
indicate engine failure as a possible cause. The Town Council passed 
resolutions of respect Tuesday night for Fitzpatrick, Jackson and Byrd 
similar to one passed last year for Scambos and one planned for Rizer. 

Mayor Kristen Umstattd said the town is blessed that no one on the ground was 
injured or killed and there was no significant property damage. All of the 
three planes went down within a few yards of residential homes. The town 
experienced a “freakish rash” of fatal crashes, a strange occurrence that 
has happened at other airports, Umstattd said. Sometimes, airports with good 
safety records do not have an incident for years and then suddenly see three, 
four, five or six crashes occur all at once, she added. 

“While there is a genuine concern for the aircraft crashes that have occurred 
during the past year, it should be noted that the airport itself did not 
cause these accidents. Rather, they were a combination of events that 
resulted in tragic consequences,” said Councilman Robert J. Zoldos, a 30 year 
air traffic control specialist for the Federal Aviation Administration who 
currently works with major airlines. Zoldos said he would like to be invited 
to participate in discussions about airport safety considering his experience 
and because he is the council’s representative to the Airport Commission. 

“I hope we will never see another one in our lifetime,” Umstattd said. She 
and Councilman Frank Buttery joined town staff members, Leesburg Police, fire 
and rescue personnel, State Police and HazMat crews at the scene last 
Thursday night. Umstattd said the neighbors were extremely calm despite “a 
horrifying ordeal for the entire Stratford community.” 

“We are as deeply concerned as you are,” Umstattd said, adding the town 
will 
do everything within its power to ensure safety at the airport. Many citizens 
wondered if the landing approach at the airport could be shifted to the south 
away from residential neighborhoods, she said, but that would conflict with 
flight paths out of Dulles International Airport. There is a new system in 
development that would guide pilots around neighborhoods when landing. The 
town would aggressively try to acquire that technology when it becomes 
available, possibly in about five years, Umstattd said. 

According to the mayor, talk on the street about the crashes has resulted in 
some citizens calling for the airport to be closed. While the Town Council is 
sympathetic to citizen concerns, she said, closing the airport would have a 
tremendous negative impact on the town and the local economy. If the airport 
was permanently closed, the town would have to return an estimated $10 
million or more in federal grants received over the past two decades. The 
airport generates $23 million for the local economy per year, according to 
the most recent Virginia Department of Aviation statistics. That number has 
increased substantially in recently updated but yet-unreleased figures, 
nearly doubling, according sources familiar with the report. 

FAA representatives pledged Monday to be fully supportive of the town in 
efforts to improve safety. The airport has been chosen to be one of the first 
small airports in the country to receive a wide-area augmentation system 
(WAAS), a GPS-based navigation system that helps guide pilots when landing 
and provides both horizontal and vertical guidance. A localizer, which only 
provides horizontal guidance, and an automatic weather observation system, 
which gives minute-to-minute updates on weather conditions, are currently 
used at the airport, 

U.S. Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-VA-10) also offered to do anything he can to help 
the town enhance safety at the airport. J.T. Griffin, Wolf’s transportation 
expert, held a conference call last week with the mayor and Airport Director 
Doug McNeeley assuring the congressman’s support. 

There should be a distinction drawn between the responsibility of the airport 
and the responsibility of pilots, McNeeley said. Until the NTSB determines a 
cause in the crashes, “I don’t think we should jump to conclusions,” he 
added. The airport’s localizer and weather system are checked immediately 
after any accident and in both recent crashes they were found to be working 
correctly, according to McNeeley. The new landing system will give pilots a 
more precision instrument-guided approach using glide slope information, he 
added. 

Others pointed out that in the last two incidents, inclement weather and 
factors not related to the airport could have contributed to the crashes. In 
the March 1 crash, witnesses reported the plane made a sharp turn before 
going down and in the latest crash, there are reports that the pilot shut off 
radio contact with flight controllers and attempted to land using the airport’
s lights as guidance. 

“There is some skepticism among some members of the FAA that a glide slope 
would have prevented any of the three recent crashes,” Umstattd said. 

Two local pilots came to the Town Council meeting Tuesday to voice support of 
keeping the airport open. Ed Levine, who has worked on several local aviation 
events and has flown out of Leesburg airport since 1978, noted the relative 
safety of flying versus other forms of transportation, such as driving. There 
are accidents on Rt. 7 every week “but they don’t close down the roads,” 
he 
said. Levine added that the airport is an economic engine with a great safety 
record overall. 

Antonio Elias, an executive vice president for Orbital Sciences Corp. and 
frequent airport user, said having an airport in the area is one of the 
quality of life elements that attracts companies like his to Leesburg and 
Loudoun. Although recent events raise concerns about safety at the airport, 
Elias pointed out that like sailing, flying is less tolerant of problems than 
driving. He said it is important that pilots keep themselves trained and 
update their equipment. 

“It is a safe airport,” Elias said. 

The recent crashes could impact an application by Oaklawn at Stratford to 
build more than 300 residential units north of the airport. Oaklawn 
representative Brian Cullen has told Umstattd that the residential component 
of the application could be moved farther to the east and out of the runway 
zone, she said. 



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