Aviation Official Says Most Are Back In Operation For Now

A winter of heavy snow has caused problems for most instrument landing systems in Maine, according to the FAA.

Speaking late last week at the FAA office in Jamaica, NY, spokesman Jim Peters said that “the recent snowstorms affected all instrument landing systems in Maine. The majority of the systems are back in service."

Currently, the agency is working with airport operators in several cities to remove accumulated snow from the systems. Airports in Augusta, Bangor, Brunswick, Rockland and Waterville were among those on the FAA's list, according to a report in the Bangor Daily News.

Jeffrey Northgraves, the manager of Knox County Airport, told the paper that more than 2 feet of snow can cause inaccurate vertical readings to be transmitted to pilots. He said there has been only one other time in the past 11 years that he has seen ILS systems be unreliable because of snow.

The FAA posted a NOTAM on Saturday that the ILS at Owls Head airport was out of service.

Other airports are reporting that high snow banks from plowing have made runways unsafe ... and at Wiscasset, the runway lights were covered by snow. Trenton airport was closed all last week because a layer of ice under the snow made braking ability nonexistent. Meanwhile, more snow was forecast for the region early this week.

(NWS graphic showing forecast snow accumulations)

FMI: www.weather.gov/gyx/