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# Airport safety proposal stuck in holding pattern
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/airport-safety-proposal-stuck-in-holding-pattern/
- Published: 2005-11-15T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T08:09:41.000Z
- Author: Ryan Hyatt
- Tags: Government & Politics, Santa Monica Airport, #archive-import

*FAA still studying proposal submitted by City Hall*

SANTA MONICA AIRPORT — Residents who believe airplanes are taking off and landing too close to their homes are waiting for a response from the federal government to a City Hall request which, if approved, could lead to some aviation operations being scaled back.

Some Santa Monica residents are concerned the Federal Aviation Administration has yet to respond to a September 2004 request in which City Hall asked it to allow the creation of a safety buffer zone between the Santa Monica Airport runway and the houses that surround it.

Officials said the request, made more than a year ago, calls for the FAA to authorize a reduction in the length of the 5,000-foot-long runway to 4,000 feet in order to create the buffer zone. If the runway reduction were to occur, it could prevent some aircraft from being able to land or take-off at the airport, according to officials.

In addition, City Hall’s proposal asks that aircraft conform to size and weight standards to which the aviation facility was originally designed in the 1940s. There are aircraft that use the facility but do not conform to those standards and therefore might pose a safety risk, according to officials. Those standards are being grandparented into enforcement by the FAA. As such, they don’t currently apply to the airport.

Santa Monica residents last week took part in a West LA town hall meeting concerning air and noise pollution from the airport.

The meeting was organized by Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl, whose jurisdiction includes areas around the airport. According to those who attended, the status of City Hall’s proposal to the FAA was discussed.

Bob Trimborn, airport manager, said there has been some confusion in the public that the proposal is intended to reduce noise pollution, which he said it’s not.

“It has nothing to do with noise pollution, and it has everything to do with airport safety,” Trimborn said. “We’ve been discussing the issue for years.”

On Nov. 13, 2001, a Cessna 340A skidded off the runway and burst into flames, killing both onboard. Neighbors, some of whom lived only 220 feet away from the crash site, had a heightened sense of fear when they realized how close they were to having a plane crash in their living room, according to news reports. Another airplane crashed into a home in the Mar Vista area in March of 2004.

Recent records show the number of take-offs and landings are increasing at the airport. That also may increase the likelihood of a crash, residents said. In 2004, there were 18,091 jet take-offs or landings at the airport. That’s an increase of 50 percent in the last five years and more than 1,500 percent since 1983, according to city records.

A study shows that Santa Monica Airport is unique because it has the closest proximity to neighborhoods than most airports in the country, said Cathy Larson, a nearby resident and co-chair of Friends of Sunset Park Airport Committee. Larson said she has talked to several of her neighbors who have been concerned for years about planes crashing into their homes, especially with the increased frequency of flights.

“The community is concerned that with the rise of operations of larger aircraft, the risk of disaster is increasing,” Larson said.

> “The community is concerned that with the rise of operations of larger aircraft, the risk of disaster is increasing,” — CATHY LARSON Resident and co-chair of Friends of Sunset Park Airport Committee

But residents may run into turbulence on their flight to peace of mind. Shortening the runway would not comply with a 1984 agreement between the city of Santa Monica and the FAA, according to a letter from the FAA to Congressman Henry Waxman, who has been helping the Friends of Sunset Park Airport Committee in its effort.

City Hall is still trying to determine what level of control it has over the airport when the agreement expires in 2015, officials said.

Donn Walker, an FAA spokesman for the western region, said his office is not ready to comment or respond to the proposal. He added that the proposal will continue to be reviewed and studied thoroughly until the FAA is ready to react.

Dan Hubbard, a spokesman for the National Business Aviation Association, some of whose members might be affected by airport regulations, said his group welcomes any discussion of safety issues. “(We) understand the city is exploring its options and we welcome that discussion which we know will include an evaluation of safety benefits by the federal authorities and include industry stakeholders,” Hubbard said. “We will be monitoring the process.”

Larson said she feels the FAA already may have taken a position on the proposal.

“We feel its about economics,” Larson said. “The FAA doesn’t want to improve safety at the airport because it will impact its use by big business.

“The FAA doesn’t want to ruffle their feathers,” she added. “They’d rather jeopardize the safety of the community and ignore it.”

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 15, 2005.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/111505.pdf?ref=smdp.com)