After spike in complaints, Napa board funds study of alternate airport approach
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Summary
Residents reported a sharp rise in jet noise after the FAA published a precise RNAV/GPS arrival to Runway 19R. The board authorized a contract amendment to study a visual alternative approach and community engagement; staff cautioned the FAA may not adopt any local proposal.
Napa County Airport Manager Mark Widtsoe told the Board of Supervisors that a newly published FAA RNAV/GPS instrument approach to Runway 19R has concentrated arriving aircraft on a narrow north–south corridor, producing a sharp increase in noise complaints across the valley. "Because this is such an accurate arrival procedure, the planes are generally over the same track of ground and at the same altitude, one plane after another," Widtsoe said.
Residents reported frequent, intrusive jet overflights, particularly above Alta Heights and along Big Ranch Road. "It's constant, all day, every day," said resident Alan Fagan, describing repeated interruptions to conversation, sleep and outdoor life. Another resident, Leslie Moretti, said personal tracking over several weeks showed as many as 68 jet flights in a day and that planes often arrive only minutes apart.
Staff described steps taken to log complaints, reconstitute the airport noise working group, and publish a noise FAQ and online complaint form to collect more systematic data. The board considered a staff-proposed amendment to the airport's planning contract with Kaufman Associates to fund a task order that would study whether a visual approach (usable in good weather) or other procedural fixes could reduce overflight of heavily populated areas. The county noted there is no guarantee the FAA would accept and publish any local alternative once studied.
Supervisor Ramos framed the proposal as an effort to make it easy for the FAA to adopt a safer southerly approach where feasible; she called the consultant study a "hail-Mary" that could cost roughly $220,000 and may not result in a published FAA change. The board voted unanimously to authorize the consultant task order and related budget adjustments to fund the feasibility and community-engagement work.
What happens next: the consultant will prepare an initial feasibility analysis and, if warranted, a community engagement plan and recommended approach to forward to the FAA. Staff stressed the study could result in voluntary guidance for pilots or a formal FAA procedure change — adoption by the FAA would remain voluntary and dependent on federal review.
