Description
The Clearwater Airpark Advisory Board held an emergency meeting on Thursday with just one item on the agenda: addressing the need for a beacon to guide pilots to the runway.
This emergency meeting comes less than two months after a pilot repeatedly said he was unable to see the runway lights to land and then crashed into a mobile home. The pilot and two residents died.
In the emergency meeting, board members made a point to say there is no way of knowing if a beacon would have helped the pilot and prevented the crash that occurred in early February.
Board Member Roger Shulman said the airport has never had a beacon installed. Shulman asked if the city of Clearwater could prioritize installing a beacon, even suggesting a temporary one be constructed while other projects take place at the airpark.
The notion of building a temporary beacon was dismissed when it was explained the beacon would still have to meet FAA requirements and could be just as costly as a permanent option.
Adding a beacon into the airpark is a priority of FlyUSA, the organization currently managing the airpark, the board members shared.
MORE: https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/pinellascounty/clearwater-airpark-pilot-plane-crash-airport-beacon/67-d93e37cd-bb43-4d75-9a9a-b296d5415e74
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