Pinocchio Chronicles: Packing the PAAC & Walk of Shame, Part V

To show why county needs Palomar Airport Advisory Committee (PAAC) members protecting homeowners, Pinocchio articles began listing McClellan-Palomar (Palomar) troubles.

County flouted FAA grants by using Palomar for landfills that hurt aircraft safety. What else went wrong?

The Walk of Shame (continued)

• Palomar Water Quality Problems. When filling Palomar canyons with garbage, county failed to install a 3-foot clay bottom liner to isolate migrating, hazardous materials, from clean soil and groundwater below. Annually, county reports contaminants far above regulatory limits.
• The Palomar Landfill Fires. Since 2000, Palomar had at least two subsurface landfill fires. One lasted nearly a year. In 2022, Palomar again found methane hot spots.
• The False Methane Readings. After 2000, a county consultant misreported Palomar methane gas levels leading to an FBI charge and a county air quality violation.
• Palomar Lead Emissions. At least 2 schools lie near Palomar. Long ago, the FAA cut lead from aviation fuel but not from small aircraft fuel. Palomar serves more than 70,000 annual small aircraft flights using leaded fuel. So about 2.1 million flights dumped leaded fuel exhaust residue near school playgrounds since 1991. And plenty before.
• The Palomar Ghost Passenger Terminal. In 2008, the FAA funded a Palomar passenger terminal and more passenger parking. The terminal was county’s Kevin Costner Field of Dreams: Build it and they will come. Only they didn’t.
• Safety Record. By 2008, 28 deaths in 14 separate incidents had occurred involving aircraft using Palomar. [See Two killed in fiery crash at McClellan-Palomar Airport by Ireland and Kaye, July 4, 2007 at https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-two-killed-in-fiery-crash-at-mcclellan-palomar-2007jul04-story.html .] More deaths occurred later.
• The Too Short Runway Safety Areas (RSAs). In 2000, the FAA crowed it would fix runways with too short runway safety areas (RSAs) nationwide. Palomar serves many FAA-rated C and D corporate aircraft flights. The FAA Design Manual calls for 1,000-foot RSAs for such flights. Palomar has only 300 to 350 feet RSAs at runway ends. Why? Because the FAA and county refuse longer RSAs unless the runway is first lengthened. In other words, sacrifice safety for growth.
• Spending Airport Monies to Fix County Landfill Problems. Between 2000 and 2020, the supervisors said county airports could give county landfill $1.5 million to fix landfill problems. County violated the FAA grant use ban, then told airports to pay for the banned damages. Sort of like digging your own grave.
• The Ghost Passenger Terminal. Since about 2015, the new passenger terminal has operated at perhaps 20% capacity. So poorly that County has allowed Carlsbad car dealers to store autos in the parking areas. Why should the FAA or homeowners trust any county statistics to justify future Palomar projects?
• The Defective FAA Airport Layout Plan (ALP). Judge Pollock told the county in 2021 (after the Citizens for a Friendly Airport sued county) that county needed Carlsbad approval to convert Palomar from a B-II airport to a D-III airport. Yet the 2023 draft FAA Palomar ALP lists the ultimate Palomar designation as D-III – apparently based on county airport staff claims made without Supervisor or Carlsbad approval.

In short, neither county nor the PAAC will fully or timely reveal Palomar problems to the public unless a few PAAC members represent homeowner interests.