Sandon/Kalispell City Airport ( S27 )Dear city council members,
I will start this mail with the fact I represent myself as a proponent
for the use of and FAA regulation upgrade for the city airport. Those
who seem to be opponents of the airport cited financial and safety
concerns. That being said, I decided to research the safety issues
involving this airport since 1929.
I used the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) website
http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/query.asp and I set the inquiry for Kalispell,
MT and from the dates 1960 to present.
The data base only goes back to 1962 and the earliest entry I found
involving Kalispell City airport was 6-29-1965. From the date of
6-29-1965 there have been 64 accidents (including the recent helicopter
incident on 1-7-2010) listed with the city of Kalispell, MT.
I have read each of these individually and of these I have excluded
any that were out of area, but listed as Kalispell, due to being the
nearest city and excluded those from Glacier International (some of
these titled Flathead County) and those that were field landings well
away from Kalispell City airport or surrounding area.
I have based my inclusions of using only those directly related to
Kalispell City airport and immediate area surrounding the Kalispell City
airport property. I must also note that an accident description may be
found in the Federal Aviation Regulations / Aeronautical Information
Manual known as the FAR/AIM. The FAR/AIM in 49 CFR Part 830, Subpart A
, 830.2 Definitions, (page 473 in the 2009 FAR/AIM) defines an accident
as this:
" Aircraft Accident means an occurrence associated with the operation
of an aircraft which takes place between the time any person boards the
aircraft with the intention of flight and all such persons have
disembarked, and in which any person suffers death or serious injury, or
in which the aircraft receives substantial damage."
Fact 1: Since the year 1965 there have been only 24 accidents in or
directly about the Kalispell City airport.
Fact 2: Of these 24, only 5 were "out of the fence." The remaining 19
were accidents similar to loosing control of the aircraft into a snow
bank or such actions on the airport.
Fact 3: Of the 5 "out of the fence" accidents, there was only 1 that
affected persons or property. The accident of the date 8-29-2004. The
remaining 4 accidents in the immediate surrounding area around the
airport are listed as "landed in field" one of which was flown off the
field and returned to the airport the following day.
In 45 years (as far back as FAA records go for Kalispell City airport)
there has only been 1 accident that affected the surrounding properties
of Kalispell City airport. Furthermore, there were only 4 that may have
left marks of landings in nearby fields. The remaining 19 happened on
airport property.
I believe I did an accurate analysis of the information listed an made
my conclusions based on the information given in the NTSB reports.
I would like to take this moment to thank the city council for their
patience and work while dealing with this controversial subject.
Sincerely, Concerned Flathead Valley pilot