News, Santa Monica, Santa Monica Airport

City Of Santa Monica Offers Condolences To Families Of Plane Crash Victims

Posted Sep. 30, 2013, 12:53 pm

Brenton Garen / Editor-in-Chief

The City of Santa Monica has issued a statement offering condolences to the families of the victims from Sunday night’s plane crash at Santa Monica Airport.

The statement also offered extra detail into the crash.

“The plane landed from the east and veered right as it approached the western half of the runway,” the statement said. “It crashed into a set of four hangars located in the airport’s northwest corner and erupted into flames.”

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The statement said the roof of the hanger collapsed onto the plane.

“NTSB investigators as well as FAA officials were at the site last night and have returned this morning,” the statement said. “Because of the collapsed structure and the inability to gain access, the victims cannot yet be removed from the aircraft. A plan is being developed to stabilize the structure so that the victims can be removed.”

The statement said the fire was knocked down within 50 minutes from the time of the first arriving unit.

“We praise the Santa Monica Fire Department’s quick response to the scene,” the statement said. “The Fire Department arrived within three minutes of the initial call from the Airport.”

The City is in the process of evaluating potential options for the Airport’s future after the expiration of the 1984 Settlement Agreement with the FAA in mid-2015.

The City Council has directed staff to return to Council in March of 2014. Options likely to be discussed then range from operational restrictions or reductions to partial or full closure.

However, any decisions about the future of the airport will eventually be made within the context of a complex jurisdictional and legal context.