Thu, Oct 28, 2010
And It Was Clearly Marked With A Large, Yellow "X"
Workers performing maintenance on
the main runway at Port Isabel-Cameron County Airport
(KPIL) in TX got a bit of a surprise last week when an
airplane landed on there. The pilot was U.S. Senator James Inhofe
(R-OK) (pictured).
The runway was clearly marked as being closed, and a NOTAM had
been issued for the maintenance work. But Inhofe said he "didn't
have a NOTAM" when asked about the incident.
Inhofe told the Washington Post that he was traveling
to his property on South Padre Island, which he has done for the
past 50 years. He said he noticed the runway closure markings as he
was preparing to land, so he flew the Cessna 340 with two other
people on board over the maintenance workers and touched down "well
off the the side."
Inhofe said he called the FAA after he landed, and was told that
since there was no accident, there was "no significant problem."
Departing from Port Isabel, Inhofe chose to take off from a taxiway
rather than use the closed runway, or one of the airports available
runways. Inhofe told the paper "I really didn't have a choice."
Given the size and weight of the airplane, h e said, the taxiway
was a safer, better option. He said he informed airport officials
of his intention to make a taxiway departure.
While the FAA can suspend a pilots' flying priveleges for either
landing on a closed runway or departing from a taxiway, the
infractions are often not enforced. Pilots are allowed to file a
voluntary report on those incidents, and that is where it generally
stops. The Tulsa World reports that the FAA confirmed
it is looking into the incident to see if further action is
warranted.
More News
From 2023 (YouTube Version): Legacy of a Titan Robert (Bob) Anderson Hoover was a fighter pilot, test pilot, flight instructor, and air show superstar. More so, Bob Hoover was an i>[...]
Get The Latest in Aviation News NOW on Instagram Are you on Instagram yet? It's been around for a few years, quietly picking up traction mostly thanks to everybody's new obsession >[...]
Aero Linx: B-52H Stratofortress The B-52H Stratofortress is a long-range, heavy bomber that can perform a variety of missions. The bomber is capable of flying at high subsonic spee>[...]
Altimeter Setting The barometric pressure reading used to adjust a pressure altimeter for variations in existing atmospheric pressure or to the standard altimeter setting (29.92).>[...]
"Knowing that we play an active part in bettering people's lives is extremely rewarding. My team and I are very thankful for the opportunity to be here and to help in any way we ca>[...]