Torrance Flights by Test Planes Under Fire

The crash-landing of a small test plane at Torrance Municipal Airport last month has residents and officials questioning whether experimental aircraft should be flying out of an airport in the midst of homes and small businesses.

One resident complained to the Torrance City Council recently that experimental airplanes like the one that crashed have no business flying over city neighborhoods.

“I don’t think this is a safe situation,” Joseph Arciuch complained.

City Council members requested a staff report about the rules governing such experimental airplanes, which are primarily small, home-built craft.

“This is a highly developed urban area,” said Councilman Bill Applegate, who said that unproven planes that need fine tuning should be flown in a less-developed area.

Councilman George Nakano said that although he does not favor an outright ban, he does have concerns about the safety of experimental planes.

The pilot of the plane, John Parker, 52, of Torrance, said the matter is being blown out of proportion.

His craft--a small aluminum plane called “American Special”--met all federal requirements, according to Parker.

Some aviation experts said experimental aircraft are being unduly criticized.

“If you were going to build your own plane that you were going to fly, wouldn’t you go the extra mile to make sure it was safe?” asked John Burton, spokesman at the Experimental Aircraft Assn., based in Oshkosh, Wis. “Home-built pilots have a vested interest in safety.”

The debate is not new.

In Santa Monica, city officials talked of banning experimental aircraft last October after the crash of a home-built plane. They found out later that the city lacked authority to enact a sweeping ban on the planes. In that accident, a passenger in the plane was hurt, one home caught fire and another was damaged.

The Torrance accident was less dramatic. Parker’s plane had trouble shortly after taking off at 3:14 p.m. on June 28. The plane was attempting to land without power when it hit the ground, remaining upright, a witness said.