Montgomery County Airpark Group to Discuss Plane Crash

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From Montgomery Community Media:

A Jan. 28 public meeting of the Montgomery County Airpark Liaison Committee will discuss the Dec. 8 plane crash that killed six people, including a Gaithersburg mother and her two young sons.

But Montgomery County Revenue Authority Executive Director Keith Miller said he doesn’t believe there will be any changes to Airpark operations until the National Transportation Safety Board issues its final accident report, which could take a year.

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A local group called the Concerned Citizens Alliance has been seeking tighter controls on who flies in and out of the airport and more safety precautions for a growing residential community that surrounds it. County Executive Isiah Leggett has called for a review of the airport’s operations by the Montgomery County Revenue Authority.

Miller said the Revenue Authority has requested the Federal Aviation Administration, Maryland Aviavtion Administration and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association review the airpark’s operation to ensure it complies with all regulations.

The airpark averaged a total of 60,000 take-offs or landings last year. At its busiest in 2001, the airpark logged more than 160,000 operations, Miller said.

The Montgomery County Airpark is a pilot controlled airpark meaning pilots communicate with one another on a radio frequency. In addition, all flights have to register with Potomac Consolidated TRACON, an air traffic control service.

“We have to look at what is really the cause of this accident. Was there something at the airpark that caused this horrific accident? Any fatality is tragic and when you have an accident like this let’s sit back and take a look and review and see if there are any changes that need to be made,” Miller told MyMCMedia.

The Montgomery County Airpark is owned and operated by the quasi-governmental Montgomery County Revenue Authority, which, in turn, is led by a six-member board of directors.

The Jan. 28 meeting of the Airpark Liaison Committee meeting starts at 4 p.m. in the Montgomery County Council Building’s 6th Floor Conference Room. It is open to the public.

»Investigators at the scene of a plane crash in Gaithersburg that killed six people. Credit: Pete Piringer/MCFRS