Thursday, November 29, 2012
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Another plane crashes at San Rafael Airport
Hello Friends and
Neighbors -
Yes, it's true,
there was another airplane crash from the San Rafael Airport today, into the
marsh.
If I didn't see it
with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe it either. It was both disturbing and
chilling to witness. Disturbing because I saw the whole thing unfold almost in
slow motion. And chilling because we heard testimony from experienced
Pilots/Analysts at the podium to the Planning Commission that predicted this
could happen -- it's a Pilot's instinct. I saw the plane turn, in an attempt to
return to the Airport, but he lost altitude and went down, coming to rest almost
directly underneath the high-voltage towers between San Pablo Bay and Las
Gallinas Sanitary District levees. Had he made that turn, and not lost altitude,
and the Soccer Complex was there...
This plane crash
is more than just another "incident." I believe it also showcases the cavalier
attitude regarding risk analysis and our safety by our Decision-Makers. Just a
few examples:
-- Robert and I
had a 2-hour meeting with Mayor Philips (S.R. Pilot and CPA). Since he's a
"numbers guy," on a legal pad in front of him, he had scratched down numbers and
explained to us what he thought was a "low risk" of an airplane flying into the
building. "Because there are 96 single-engine planes and only 4 twin-engine
planes, the risk of a plane going off the runway and into the adjacent building
was very slim." Really? That's how the Mayor is measuring the percentage of
risk?
-- The Planning
Commission Chair told us, she looked at the risk analysis and thought it wasn't
that high and she would consider putting her kids in the Airport/Soccer program.
Really? In my opinion anything over 0% risk to the kids is
unacceptable.
-- In
replying to the CalTrans letter of warning, City Staff said because San Rafael
is a private Airport, they could ignore CalTrans' recommendations. Really? Why
would we want to?
-- In a voice-mail
from Kraig replying to my query: "How many accidents is too many? How close
does it have to be before common sense comes into this decision?" His reply
was, "done some homework... looking into this... you can go to
the NTSB website and pull up data on this... " and he said we could look at
the records of Gnoss Field, Petaluma Airport, and Napa Airport and find the
number of "incidents" to be comparable. Really? Last time I checked, none of
these Airports had a Soccer Complex 160' from the runway.
-- In the
September 2009 plane crash, the Airport Manager called it "a routine belly
landing." Routine... really? Just how often does that
happen?
-- In the October
2011 plane crash, it was kit plane, flown by a student pilot, alone. In a
rebuttal regarding these crashes, the Airport Manager said, "the kit planes
weigh about as much as an SUV." Really? Then lets see a test and drop an
SUV on the roof of the facility/unreinforced metal shed and see how it
holds up. They do it for "Tuff Sheds."
-- And now, today,
November 2012, the NTBS investigation is underway and so far we hear from Staff,
compared to other Airports, it's not so bad. Really? Well, we don't care about
other Airports.
After all this, in
my opinion, either our Decision-Makers are blinded by the almighty
dollar and/or they secretly know what we have suspected all along - this
project is a Trojan Horse. We have no guarantees that a Soccer Complex will ever
be built so why worry about plane crashes? Because, after all, what they
Really want is the rezoning.
Let's not let this
happen. Your presence at the December 3 San Rafael City Council meeting can send
a clear message - We know what's best for our neighborhoods.
Or as Gina put it
so eloquently and on-point, "And the airport
owner wants to put soccer fields and an 85,000 sq ft sports complex 150 ft from
the runway here. Who cares if it's dangerous? They'll have to rezone the
property from wetlands to commercial, but who cares? If you do, the SR City
Council has scheduled what is said to be the final hearing on whether or not to
approve this project Monday Dec. 3rd. SR City Hall, 6 p.m. Warm bodies in the room may actually persuade the council
members to utilize their moral compasses. Please, show up if you
can!"
I hope you all
have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving Day,
Your Neighbor - Mary Hanley
Your Neighbor - Mary Hanley
Saturday, November 17, 2012
December 3 - City Council Public Hearing
City Council Public Hearing
San Rafael Airport Soccer Complex
Monday, December 3, 2012
6:00 p.m.
City Council Chambers
1400 5th Street
San Rafael, CA 94901
Link to the City's reports: http://acm.cityofsanrafael.org/Government/Community_Development/San_Rafael_Airport.htm
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