The Whiteman Airport Coalition is closely following the investigation into this week’s crash in Pacoima. Our thoughts remain with the pilot and everyone affected.
A report from KTLA 5 news involving air traffic control audio raises questions. But before anyone rushes to conclusions, there are critical facts that need to be part of the conversation.
What we know from video, investigators, and eyewitness accounts is that the aircraft struck high-voltage power lines, triggering an immediate and widespread power outage in the surrounding area. That outage introduces additional factors that must be fully understood, including whether it affected communications after the crash. Those questions remain under review.
We do not yet know what caused the crash, and the full investigation needs to play out before any conclusions are drawn.
SUPERVISOR HORVATH’S CALL FOR ANSWERS- FACTS MATTER
We also support Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath’s call for answers and her sense of urgency in this moment.
At the same time, context and facts matter. In recent years, Supervisor Horvath directed a freeze on pursuing FAA funded capital improvement projects at Whiteman Airport, even though federal funding has been available for safety, infrastructure, and modernization. The question the community and stakeholders have been asking for years is simple: why?
These are not abstract investments. They include things like undergrounding utilities, strengthening electrical systems, and upgrading airfield infrastructure, the kinds of improvements that directly affect safety and modernization.
If there are real concerns about how systems performed here, the response from Supervisor Horvath and the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors should be consistent investment to strengthen safety, not only around the airport but at the airport itself, by finally tapping into the millions in available FAA funding for Whiteman.
THE TIME FOR ACTION IS NOW
Whiteman Airport is a critical public safety asset, supporting emergency and fire response, and a key economic engine for communities across the San Fernando Valley.
This investigation needs to follow the facts, including what role power loss and infrastructure may have played, and it should lead to real investment in keeping this federally obligated airport open and properly maintaining and modernizing a facility that that supports more than 125,000 operations each year.
