AOPA: Fatal Accidents In North Las Vegas Spark Public
Outreach
As
reported first on Aero-News,
two fatal accidents occurred near North Las Vegas Airport,
sparking concern among the public about aviation safety, a concern that was fueled by some politization of
the tragedies by local aviation officials who seemingly
should have known better. AOPA and the Air Safety Foundation
reached out to a shocked community in an effort to present the
facts about GA and its safety record.
On Aug. 22, a Velocity experimental aircraft crashed into a
house near the airport, killing the pilot and two people on the
ground. Then, on Aug. 28, a Piper Navajo crashed into a yard,
burning two homes. The pilot was killed, but those in the houses
survived.
“Fatal general aviation accidents are very low, and it is
rare that anyone on the ground is injured or killed when an
aircraft crashes,” said Bruce Landsberg, executive director
of the AOPA Air Safety Foundation. “A situation like this, in
which two aircraft crashed into houses in the same area less than
one week apart, is extremely rare. But we can’t discount even
rare incidents. That’s why we reached out to pilots in the
area with our safety materials.”
The foundation sent an e-mail to nearly 3,000 pilots in the
North Las Vegas area, encouraging them to send a strong message to
local authorities about their investment in aviation safety by
completing online air safety courses.
The association also worked with North Las Vegas Airport Support
Network Volunteer Kathleen Snaper to reach out to local pilots and
the surrounding community.
“Kathleen and the local pilots did a tremendous job
educating the community in the wake of these two tragedies,”
said AOPA Airport Support Network Director Jennifer Storm (pictured
below).
“A local response carries more weight with local officials
and the community.”
AOPA provided Snaper with resources and advice that she used to
help local pilots in their effort. She also provided the
association with critical information that resulted from multiple
public meetings that followed the accidents.
Nearly 100 residents and pilots attended a Clark County Aviation
Association meeting last week to discuss the accidents. According
to Snaper, one of the biggest complaints that surfaced at those
meetings was the noise generated by aircraft flying low during
approach to landing.
“Thanks to the keen insight from Kathleen, AOPA can
address the specific topics of concern in the area, including noise
complaints,” said Storm. “That’s why ASN
volunteers are crucial to AOPA’s effort to protect community
airports. In emergency situations like these, they are able to
quickly provide us with accurate information to help us work at the
local level.”
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