Latest crash near busy Lantana airport stirs some fear in residents
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"Many families go to that park," said Ornelas, an 18-year-old who details cars for a living. "Luckily, it crashed in a wooded area where there wasn't many people or kids."
But she hears and sees the helicopters and small planes up close -- and it frightens her.
"I love him with all of my heart and would want nothing to happen to him," she said. "I'm really worried about safety in the area."
Ornelas is not alone.
Several residents who live close to the airport share the concerns.
Less than a mile from the airport,
"If you have engine problems at that point, you're going to kill somebody somewhere because there is no place to land," he said.
Coakley said he documented an incident where a training aircraft was flying about 16 feet above cars in
Coakley said he fears for his life.
"They've been over my roof at 50 feet," he said.
The low-flying planes and helicopters above
Nearby at the
Cortes, who has lived there for 12 years, remembers when
"We saw the fire," she said. "Yes, I'm nervous there will be more plane crashes. Some people here have moved because of that crash."
A small, but very busy airport
With three runways laid out in a triangle, the airport is small and does not have a control tower.
It has been in the national news on more than one occasion:
* Less than a month before the 2001 terrorist attacks,
*
Business at the airport takes huge hits in the winter when President
* Last year, the county maintained its decades-old ban on jets at the airport despite a determination by the
According to the
Boca's airport has had 28 crashes in that span.
"They're most vocal about the noise from helicopters and aircraft flying over their homes," he said, "But if you have a house that's on the approach or departure of an airport, you're going to see and hear airplanes. It's just a fact of life."
"We have policies and procedures to fly neighborly," he said. "We have to be at least 500 feet before we get off the airport and then we fly patterns at 1,000 feet."
"There's a bunch of documentation they would have to have before we would allow them to rent an airplane," Rossi said.
Lots of aircraft -- some love it, some don't
Airport officials declined to speak with the Post. But a commercial pilot who used to work at the airport called
"They have a very small corridor to fly in and out of without having to talk to a controller," said the pilot, who requested anonymity. "It makes it a very tight -- and dangerous -- environment. I've talked to other flight instructors who have said, 'Oh my God, I would never fly there again.' It's like the Wild, Wild West almost."
In several accidents at or near the airport, engines lost power when airplanes were just barely off the ground. Others never left the ground at all.
But the commercial pilot said you always had to have your head on a swivel at the airport.
"You never knew where planes would be coming from next," he said. "I don't know if the airport can really do anything. The
"Generally, it's very safe, and while crashes do happen, they're very improbable," he said.
Not everyone, however, is worried.
One 70-year-old, who has lived in Mar-Mak for 20 years and didn't want his name used, said he's not.
"Not at all," he said. "Small planes fly over here all the time. They seem to be students who make circular paths."
"You see the planes flying really low and it's really awesome," said Vigo, 20. "I have no concerns and it'll be OK."
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