Van Nuys Airport Called ‘Very Safe’

Los Angeles officials declared Van Nuys Airport “very safe” in a report released Monday, but said more study is needed before deciding whether changes are needed at the world’s busiest general aviation facility.

The San Fernando Valley airfield meets or exceeds all federal safety requirements, concluded the report by city airports administrator Lydia Kennard. The study was ordered by the Los Angeles City Council after a Feb. 7 collision between two planes over Sylmar that killed four people. One of the planes was heading to Van Nuys Airport at the time.

The release of the report comes a month after a news helicopter crashed at the airport on returning from coverage of the Academy Awards ceremony. The crash injured the pilot and a camera operator.

The city report found that since January 1989, there have been 33 aircraft accidents at Van Nuys Airport, injuring 18 people. One person died in 1996, when a pilot lost control during a landing. Officials say the number of accidents is small in light of the 6 million takeoffs and landings at the airport since 1989.

Five of the crashes involved helicopters, and the rest involved fixed-wing aircraft.

“For the most part, I agree that the numbers of incidents are minimal,” said Councilman Alex Padilla of Sylmar, who called for the report.

He also wants a report on safety at the Valley’s two other airports, Burbank and Whiteman.

That broader look is welcomed by Don Schultz, president of the Van Nuys Homeowners Assn.

“I really can’t challenge the conclusion that Van Nuys is a safe airport,” Schultz said. “The number of accidents has been pretty minimal. But it just takes one jet aircraft crashing into one of the neighborhoods. So, while it may be one of the safer airports, it is always going to be a concern.”

Airport critics said the report provides an incomplete picture because it does not include local accidents that happened off airport property--such as the Feb. 7 midair crash.

Kennard said her office has asked federal, state and county officials for a broader accounting of air accidents in the San Fernando Valley.

The administrator said it is premature to consider any operational changes at Van Nuys before reviewing data from the Federal Aviation Administration.

Officials could consider keeping the Van Nuys control tower open 24 hours a day. The tower currently closes at 10:45 p.m.

Mitch Barker of the FAA said he must research the status of the FAA’s portion of the report.

But, he said, “I don’t know of any safety issues.”

Gerald Silver, president of Homeowners of Encino, criticized the report as incomplete. In general, he said, “it is extremely unsafe to have the world’s busiest general aviation airport operating smack dab in the center of a residential area.”

Van Nuys has experienced an average of about three accidents each year for the past five years, from a high of five in 1996 to two last year.