Kentucky Airports Deceptively Dangerous

Filed in archive on September 12, 2006

A recent small plane crash in Breathitt County, Kentucky, points out the dangers of flying in the eastern part of the state. Many pilots, especially those flying in from the flatlands of Texas, don't realize how quickly visibility can change on mountaintops and in river valleys. Winds inside thunderstorms in these areas can "effectively blow up to 200 to 300 miles an hour," C.K. Belhasen, a veteran pilot, told the Lexington Herald Reader's Lee Mueller.

Eastern Kentucky has about 15 airports - none large enough for commercial airliners and only one with a federally approved instrument-landing system - located in the mountains, where runways cross wind-swept slopes, or along fog-prone river valleys.

"We really are trying to get away from valley airports," said Paul Steely, commissioner of the state Department of Aviation in Frankfort. Several NTSB accident reports cited overconfidence by pilots in dangerous situations as contributing factors in crashes. Most fatal plane crashes in Kentucky basically have been the result of pilot error, Steely said, although Belhasen said he blames weather conditions.

Some airports are on hilltops that are actually lower than surrounding mountains, adding to the danger of landing. To make matters more complicated, Steely said:

"There are very few control towers in the state of Kentucky. About 90 percent of the airports in this state are uncontrolled. A lot would not have radio operators, particularly at night."

To learn what Kentucky is doing to decrease the danger and to read the full story, go to the Lexington Herald Reader Web site.