Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Airport Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Pilot raises safety concerns at Taos Regional Airport, urges advisory-board review
Summary
A Taos resident and pilot told the council he regularly observes large jets and medical helicopters using intersecting approaches and suggested formal traffic-pattern changes and regular Airport Advisory Board meetings to reduce collision risk and noise over town.
A Taos resident and regular pilot told the Town of Taos Council during the Feb. 11 citizens forum that overlapping flight paths at Taos Regional Airport could create a safety hazard and increase noise impacts over residential areas.
Daniel Weeks, a Taos-based pilot, described seeing larger corporate and regional jets follow a “straight-in” approach over the mountains to use the airport’s longer runway and described medical-evacuation helicopter traffic that operates on separate paths. "There could be many factors that could affect the situation making it unsafe," Weeks said, adding that when pilots do not communicate or when weather forces visual-flight-rule descents, the risk increases.
Weeks urged the council to pursue official changes to the airport’s published traffic patterns, suggesting the town seek a right-hand pattern for Runway 13 and a left-hand pattern for Runway 31, and to encourage JSX and other operators to follow published patterns rather than executing straight-in approaches. He recommended routing larger, noisy aircraft over less-populated areas to the west and suggested that a regularly meeting Airport Advisory Board would be the best forum for continued discussion.
Why it matters: overlapping and nonstandard approaches can raise both safety and noise concerns for communities adjacent to airports. Weeks said his suggestions — formalized in FAA-published pattern changes and advisory-board review — could reduce noise over densely occupied neighborhoods and create clearer separation between helicopters and jets.
Council and staff response: Weeks said he had already discussed the issue with town staff and the airport manager, and he urged the council to ensure the Airport Advisory Board meets regularly and considers the proposals. Staff and the council did not adopt any formal motion during the meeting to change published traffic patterns; the transcript records Weeks’ public comment and staff acknowledgment only.
Next steps: Weeks asked the council to keep the topic on the Airport Advisory Board agenda; staff and the airport manager would be the parties to coordinate any outreach to the FAA and airline operators about published pattern changes.
No formal action or vote was recorded on this item in the Feb. 11 meeting.
