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Leesburg airport uses new state derelict-aircraft law to remove two inoperable planes
Summary
Commission and staff described use of a recently enacted state law to declare, notify, and dispose of derelict or abandoned aircraft at the airport; two aircraft were advertised and sold at public auction after owners failed to respond.
Leesburg Airport staff told the Airport Commission on April 9 that a state law enacted last year giving airports a clearer path to remove derelict or abandoned aircraft has already been used to dispose of two inoperable airplanes.
Commissioners and staff said the law defines an abandoned or derelict aircraft at a public-use airport as an airplane that has been unairworthy or otherwise un-flyable for 90 days and lacks a current FAA airworthiness certificate. Under the process described at the meeting, staff records the date an aircraft is identified, attempts to determine the registered owner, files liens with the FAA registry and the state, and issues a written notice requesting removal and payment of storage fees within 90 days.
The airport posted notices and used publicsurplus.com and local advertisement to sell two airplanes after their owners did not respond to the 90-day notices. According to the staff summary, the Arrow sold at auction for about $10,000 and a Cessna sold for about $49,000. Staff said proceeds were used first to recover storage fees (staff cited about $30 per day in the cases discussed); any remaining balance is held for one year for reclamation by the owner and thereafter reverts to airport revenue.
Commission discussion addressed identification challenges, the possibility of retaining or trading aircraft to other public entities, public auction and salvage options, and how staff had handled two recent cases. Commissioners said they had tried informal resolution in the past and that the new statutory process removed the need for lengthy court actions in order to obtain ownership for auction.
Staff indicated they will continue to follow the statute’s notification and lien steps before sale, and that in some future cases—particularly home-built aircraft or planes with potential liability—they may choose alternatives to auctioning if selling poses unacceptable risks.
The commission received the update as information; there was no separate formal vote recorded on the disposal actions at the meeting.
Ending: Staff said they will follow the statutory notice and lien process going forward and will continue to brief the commission on individual disposals and any lessons learned.
