City Council Calls for Improved Safety at Van Nuys Airport

Responding to the first fatal plane crash at Van Nuys Airport in a decade, the Los Angeles City Council called on airport officials Wednesday to improve airport safety.

Led by Councilman Joel Wachs, who represents the airport area, the council asked the Federal Aviation Administration to consider staffing the airport control tower 24 hours a day or providing video surveillance of the runway.

Pilot Robert A. Olson died Nov. 14 when his small cargo plane made a bad landing approach in the dark during heavy fog, and slid into a cluster of parked airplanes.

The airport tower was closed at the time--as it is every night between 10:45 p.m. and 5:45 a.m.--and Olson had to rely on weather information from an FAA controller in San Diego.

FAA officials have argued that airport traffic is too light to warrant round-the-clock traffic control. Although it is the busiest general aviation airport in the nation, Van Nuys Airport has only 16 flights on an average night.

But Wachs, a longtime critic of the airport, rejected the FAA rationale, saying the staffing should be a matter of safety, not costs.

“How many deaths do you need before it’s worth it?” Wachs asked. “I’m sure they would be willing to do it if their lives were at stake.”

Airport neighbors have also recommended 24-hour staffing in the tower, in part for safety reasons but also to watch for pilots violating curfew and noise rules.

“They are using poor judgment in not putting it in,” said Don Schultz, president of the Van Nuys Homeowners Assn. “There is no other airport in the nation that compares to us.”

Airport spokeswoman Stacy Geere said airport officials have suggested staffing the tower starting at 5:15 a.m.--a half-hour earlier than currently staffed--to monitor the takeoff of early morning traffic helicopters from the airport.

But she said tower staffing decisions are entirely up to the FAA, not the airport administration.

An FAA official did not return calls for comment Wednesday.

Wachs’ proposal also suggests installing video cameras along the runway and having FAA officials monitor the runway from another location, such as Burbank Airport, which has 24-hour tower staffing.

Wachs said if cost is the only consideration for the extra staffing or video monitoring, the council may consider splitting the bill.

Wachs’ motion requires airport officials to draft a report to the council within 60 days.

Meanwhile, about 250 people turned out for a public meeting Wednesday night on plans for the airport’s future.

An environmental impact report and preliminary master plan were released last month by the city Department of Airports, detailing 12 possible strategies that would mix industrial, aviation and commercial uses at the 730-acre site over a 20-year term.

Over the next few months, the master plan will be reviewed by the Los Angeles Planning Commission, Board of Airport Commissioners, City Council and the FAA. The City Council is expected to vote on the plan in June.

The airport department’s preferred option would reduce current aviation space from 396 acres to 232 acres and increase non-aviation acreage from 58 to 278 acres, providing a buffer between aircraft operations and neighbors.

Supporters of that option point out that the physical dimensions of the airport would not increase. The environmental report predicts that annual revenues generated by the airport could double to more than $5 million.

Most of those speaking opposed the master plan, including state Sen. Tom Hayden (D-Los Angeles).

“Not until human life has been addressed can the economic benefits of Van Nuys Airport to the San Fernando Valley and the Southern California region be considered,” he said.

“The quality of life for thousands of men, women and children is infinitely more important . . . “

Opponents contend the option favored by the department would allow more and noisier planes to use the airport. Stop the Noise, a coalition of residents and business owners, contends the airport’s plan would increase the number of jets based at the airport by 54% by 2015. The number of helicopters, they say, would rise 57%.

Airport administrators have said the increase would be counteracted by higher numbers of more modern, quieter jets.

“At my house at 5 in the morning I have Learjets screaming overhead,” said Liz Crawford, an Encino resident. “I was out feeding my dogs and I heard this deafening roar. I could have thrown a rock and hit the belly of this jet.”

“I am no Luddite,” she said. “We are giving and giving and giving. All that we’re asking is that existing noise regulations be enforced.”

James Stewart of Panorama City, a member of the Mid-Valley Chamber of Commerce, was booed by the crowd when he said the airport generates 9,000 jobs and $940 million of income to the Valley.

“If this airport is curtailed in any way those jobs could all go away,” he said.

A 60-day public review and comment period began Nov. 14. Material from that period--including comments from Wednesday’s hearing--is to be considered when the master plan is completed.

Martin is a Times staff writer and Hayes is a correspondent.