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Resident urges town action after recent airport crash, calls for clarity on oversight and revenue
Summary
A resident criticized what he described as effectively uncontrolled operations at the nearby airport after a recent fatal crash, asked where airport tax revenue goes and urged the town to form a committee to study mitigation options; a town official cited initial NTSB findings that pointed to mechanical failure and fuel loss.
A Milton resident told the town board on Nov. 19 that recent accidents at the nearby airport leave the community exposed and urged local leaders to pursue clearer oversight and risk mitigation. "We have completely uncontrolled airspace above us," Dan Galvin said during public comment, describing two crashes in less than four years and arguing that the town lacks visibility into who lands and when at the field.
Galvin said he had asked county officials questions about regulation and tax receipts following a fatal crash the prior month. "The only restriction on the size of the aircraft... The largest aircraft so far that has been reported to land there is a Gulfstream G650," he said, and added that publicly available material he reviewed showed roughly $500,000 in tax receipts for 2022. He pressed the board on whether tax revenue from airport activity is tracked locally and where the funds are directed, given the town’s role in providing emergency response.
Galvin urged the board to consider forming a committee to evaluate risks and mitigation strategies, and asked whether oversight should be sought at the county, state or federal level. "If there is zero regulation at all... we have no say over anything that goes on except we maintain it though," he said.
A town official identified in the minutes only as John responded that it is important to avoid speculation but to address safety. The official summarized initial National Transportation Safety Board reporting: "The initial report from the NTSB is the fact that it was a mechanical failure of the plane... it appeared to have lost its fuel," the official said, and credited the pilot for steering the aircraft away from a house.
The meeting record shows the board did not take formal action that night to create a committee or change airport oversight; board members and staff discussed safety in general terms and directed no specific follow‑up in the public minutes. Residents who raised the issue requested more transparency about airport operations and tax distributions and suggested the town coordinate with county or federal authorities on risk mitigation.
The town’s minutes reflect differing responsibilities among jurisdictions for airport operations; participants in the comment period and some board members said the county rather than the town administers certain aspects of regulation and that local authorities’ options may be constrained by state and federal rules.
The board did not schedule a follow‑up at the meeting; the record shows continued attention in subsequent remarks to safety at the airport but no formal directive to staff documented in the public minutes.
