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FAA finds minor discrepancies in Santa Barbara Airport annual inspection; staff outlines fixes
Summary
Airport operations staff told the Santa Barbara Airport Commission that the FAA’s May 20–22 annual certification inspection found four minor discrepancies and offered several recommendations; staff said fixes are underway and a final NTSB report on a recent off‑airport Cirrus accident is still pending.
The Santa Barbara Airport Commission heard an update Tuesday that the Federal Aviation Administration’s annual certification inspection of the airport (conducted May 20–22) identified four minor discrepancies and several nonbinding recommendations, and that staff are addressing the items.
Airport Operations Manager Michael Smith told commissioners that the FAA inspection is a routine annual requirement for a class‑1 commercial service airport. The FAA identified four discrepancies: faded or worn pavement centerline markings, fuel‑farm housekeeping issues (including spill cleanup), overgrown vegetation along sections of the perimeter fence, and one fire extinguisher of an incorrect size. Smith described the findings as “very minor” and said staff were already painting taxiway markings, cleaning at the fuel farm and coordinating a biologist survey that should allow vegetation work to proceed.
The recommendations from the inspector included reducing the number of vehicle drivers allowed on movement areas, adding specific runway/taxiway dimension information to driver training materials, refreshing markings affected by construction phasing, additional formalized FLIR (forward‑looking infrared) training for aircraft rescue and firefighting staff, and awareness training related to ballistic parachute systems on some small aircraft. Smith said those suggestions were not requirements but “good recommendations” given a recent incident involving a Cirrus aircraft.
Commissioners asked whether the Cirrus accident, which did not occur on airport property, was reviewed as part of the FAA inspection. Smith said the airport provided an initial report to FAA but that the NTSB is responsible for the formal investigation; he said staff will review the NTSB’s final report and consider any airport changes if the report identifies airport‑related factors.
Chair Glaser and other commissioners praised the operations team’s work; commissioners stressed that the inspection’s thoroughness was a credit to staff because only minor items were cited. Smith said the FAA rotated a new certification inspector this year and that some recommendations reflected inspector priorities rather than new serious deficiencies.
Staff said they will return to the commission with any follow‑up items from the FAA inspection or the NTSB report and that the airport is treating the inspector’s comments as items to resolve promptly.
The commission received the report; there was no formal vote on the inspection findings.
