Currently Operating On A Temporary Certificate While Safety Concerns Are Addressed

The FAA has pulled the operating certificate for Menominee-Marinette Twin County Airport in Menominee, MI after the airport failed a safety inspection.

Television station WBAY reports that the airport is currently operating under a temporary authorization while the county determines how it will address the safety issues at the airport. Currently, there are some trees that have grown too tall for the approach and departure corridors for the airport, and pilots are complaining that they are sometimes brushing their landing gear in the trees. Larry Schei, Menominee County Commissioner, said once the trees are trimmed, the airport will be in compliance with the required minimum angle, "but there are still critical obstructions," he told the station.

The county has 60 days under the temporary license to trim the trees and fix other problems before the temporary authorization expires.

Schei said that the airport is very active. It is used by private pilots, UPS, FedEX, U.S. Navy and other government aircraft. A pilot told the station's reporter that the airport is being mismanaged by the county, and that many pilots using the airport feel that way. "It starts with the airport manager. We don't understand how it's gotten this bad," said pilot Joseph Ciochetto.

Schei said the county would be open to selling the airport, but any buyer would have to come up with "millions of dollars" for the purchase.

FMI: Original Story