Grant to study NLV airport safety
Nevada Sens. Harry Reid and John Ensign secured a $100,000 grant Friday from the Federal Aviation Administration for Clark County to conduct a safety study in the wake of two recent airplane crashes into homes near the North Las Vegas Airport.
"We've all seen the recent tragedies at North Las Vegas Airport, and they are deeply troubling," Reid, D-Nev., said in a joint statement with Ensign, R-Nev., announcing the grant.
"We're going to provide the resources for the county and airport officials to work together with pilots to ensure the highest safety standards are met," Reid said. "Both the users of the airport and the people living in neighborhoods near the airport must be protected from future problems."
On Aug. 22, an experimental aircraft with only five flight hours took off from North Las Vegas Airport and crashed into the home of Jack and Lucy Costa near Lake Mead Boulevard and Simmons Street. The pilot, Mack Murphree, 76, of Dayton, was killed along with the Costas in the fiery crash.
Six days later, a twin-engine Piper Navajo Chieftain experienced engine trouble seven minutes after taking off from the airport. The pilot tried to return but the plane hit a tree, power lines, a two-story house on North Jones Boulevard and an unoccupied car in the driveway of the house, which was 1.2 miles west of the runway he was trying to reach.
The pilot, William J. Leahy Jr., 38, of Redwood City, Calif., was killed. Four people in the house escaped without injury and one person had minor injuries.
Ensign said those crashes "highlight the importance of safety at our airports."
"Safety in the airline industry is of utmost importance, and this grant will help to maintain rigorous safety requirements necessary to ensure that travelers reach their destinations," he said.
North Las Vegas Airport is considered a reliever airport used primarily for general aviation in a valley that generates air traffic from McCarran International Airport, Nellis Air Force Base, Henderson Executive Airport and Boulder City Municipal Airport on the east side of Las Vegas Valley.
The grant will provide money for a safety management system study at North Las Vegas Airport involving pilots to help determine compliance with international standards and identify issues of concern.
