Hempstead Town Officials Announce Plan to Remove Airplane Parked at Oceanside Home

OCEANSIDE, NY - Hempstead Town officials recently announced that they plan to remove an airplane that has been parked in front of an Oceanside home by the aircraft’s owner after officials issued several violations, according to a press release from the Town.

Building department officials and the township’s engineer have stated that storing the plane in a residential neighborhood presented potential danger and building inspectors have indicated that the plane’s residential storage is a violation of Hempstead’s Building Zone Ordinance, according to the Town.

During a windstorm earlier this month, the town received reports of the airplane lifting three feet off the ground while one of two tall radio towers on the property collapsed, according to the Town.

After the storm, the town’s Commissioner of Engineering saw the airplane and issued a report where he stated, “I cannot certify that the aircraft is properly secured in the event of a strong wind or storm to prevent it from uplifting, falling, collapsing or causing damage and injury to the occupants and/or adjacent property. Accordingly, I would recommend that the aircraft be removed immediately.”

The supervisor of inspection services in Hempstead Town’s Building Department then issued a Notice of Violation of the Town Code which deemed the storage of the plane as “unsafe”, according to the Town.

“The health and safety of Hempstead Town residents is one of my top priorities,” Hempstead Town Supervisor Santino said. “The storage of airplanes and unpermitted radio towers on residential property could easily put the safety of neighbors at risk. I won’t let that happen.”

In addition, Building Department staff issued another Notice of Violation for a tall radio tower antenna on the residential property based upon safety concerns, according to the release.

The Notices of Violation, posted on the home and served by certified mail, warned the property owner to remove the airplane and remaining radio tower by April 19 or they would both be removed by a Hempstead contractor, according to the Town.

“Keeping homeowners and neighbors safe is important,” Hempstead Town Councilman Anthony D’Esposito said. “Our town is working hard to preserve the local quality-of-life and to ensure public safety.”

The owner is 69-year-old Harold Guretsky, who brought his Cessna to his Yale Street home from Republic Airport about a month ago, according to the New York Post.

Guretsky, the owner of a Queens aircraft-radio company, lost his student-pilot license over health issues and wanted to avoid the $150 monthly storage fee, according to the report.