Numerous plane crashes—some of them fatal—and close calls, as well as allegations of pollution and excessive noise have prompted elected officials and residents of Pacoima, a community in the San Fernando Valley, to call for the closure of Whiteman Airport.
Community and environmental organization Pacoima Beautiful is leading the charge, launching a petition to close the over 76-year-old airport.
Pilots, people who own planes and others who use or work at the airport have also launched their own petition to prevent the closure.
“The airport is the largest toxic landmark in Pacoima. It is estimated that as much as 1,000 lbs. per year of various air toxics, may be emitted as a result of ongoing operations at the airport facility. Since 1970, there have been 85 accidents in and around Whiteman Airport constantly putting the residents of Pacoima at risk for catastrophe. In November 2020 yet another accident resulted in the loss of life and a whole neighborhood traumatized,” the petition states.
Pacoima Beautiful notes that there are better uses for the 187 acres on which the airport stands and that the facility does not serve anyone in the community.
Most worrisome for residents who live around the airport have been the latest crashes.
In Nov. 2020, a Civil Air Patrol pilot died after his single-engine Cessna airplane approaching Whiteman Airport knocked over several power lines, before crashing along the 10600 block of Sutter Avenue, burning two park vehicles and damaging the entrances to a couple of homes just feet from he runway.
And on January 9, a small plane crashed into nearby train tracks, and was destroyed moments later by a Metrolink train. The pilot was rescued by police officers just a few seconds before the train hurtled into the downed plane.
Elected Officials Also Call for Closure
Los Angeles City Councilmember Monica Rodriguez also supports closing Whiteman, as does Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl said in a video presentation that the plan calls for an air quality monitoring program, and discussions on the fate of the 75-year-old airport.
“Local residents have long raised concerns about pollution and safety around the airport,” Kuehl said, “every option is on the table, including possible closure, which would require federal input.”
Rodriguez said she welcomed a review of the airport and its impact on the surrounding community, particularly regarding the level of pollution in Pacoima — a community “dissected by freeways, the industrial operations in the area that have led to such poor air quality” leading to asthma and other respiratory illnesses.
“The voices for this community are finally being heard,” Rodriguez said.
The history of the Airport
The airport was established in 1946 by Marvin E. Whiteman, Sr., and purchased by the County of Los Angeles in 1970. It houses more than 600 aircraft, including private airplanes as well as police, firefighting and media helicopters. It is used as a base of operations for response to wildfires.
Whiteman Airport is also home to Glendale Community College flight training, and several other flight programs for minors.
The public facility spans 182 acres of land and operates 24-hours a day, seven days a week. It records 108,000 annual take offs and landings, about 300 per day.
Assistant Airport Director Jason Morgan said the site includes 21 businesses and employs 246 workers, generating some $19 million annually and $54.4 million in economic benefits to the surrounding community.
Those benefits were highly touted by several of the approximately 100 attendees at the online meeting.
Gregory Coleman, who has a plane there, said he pays taxes “that the city of Los Angeles benefits from.” He believes the real culprits of the environmental issues in Pacoima are created by the 405, 5 and 210 freeways.
Coleman went on to say the airport “keeps Pacoima safe in case of an emergency,” and provides economic and job development resources for youth.
A report released in 2011 by the county Department of Public Works indicated there were 80 accidents at Whiteman Airport since 1970, 26 of which occurred away from the airport.
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