Homeowner from 2005 plane crash concerned about flights near Odgen-Hinckley Airport

ROY, Utah (KUTV) — Another plane crash in Roy this week has a previous victim issuing a warning.

2News archives show nearly 10 crashes near the Ogden airport since 1999, including one in 2005, which resulted in a wing falling onto Paul Genovesi's house.

Now with yet another crash this week, Genovesi warns it’ll happen again if nothing is done.

RELATED:Plane crashes in front yard of home near Ogden Hinckley Airport

Genovesi lives in Roy near the Ogden-Hinkley airport and says planes fly low close to his home all the time.

In 2005, the wing of a crashing plane hit his house.

Now, nearly 20 years later, he and the rest of Roy are still seeing plane crashes in their neighborhood, like the one that happened on Wednesday.

It’s something that affects him and his family greatly.

"My wife, she was pregnant, and it put her into labor six weeks premature ... because it was so terrifying when the wing hit,” he said.

Genovesi has been trying to get something done about the airport, low flying planes, and flightpaths for years.

He showed 2news emails he sent more than a year ago to city and airport officials. But still, nothing has been done.

"They just don't care. Ogden-Hinkley airport, they just don't care about Roy,” Genovesi said.

On Thursday, the mayor of Roy told 2news of his idea to move the airport to the west of Weber County.

Genovesi is on board with that plan, or any other plan that fixes the problem, because he warns it’ll happen again, and the next time could be tragic.

"I’m very emotional about that because I believe that people are going to perish a lot more,” he said.

On Thursday, 2news sent a series of questions to the city of Ogden about the airport. Some of these are listed below:

• Since the last crash in the surrounding community in 2020, what, if anything, has the airport done to try to improve safety for people living in close proximity to the airfield?
• What is the airport doing now to improve safety for neighbors?
• Is there consideration for increasing a buffer around the airport through eminent domain or other means?
• Has there been, or is the airport now considering changes to approach and take-off operations or protocols?

Mike McBride with the city responded with the below statement:

“Ogden is committed to the safety and wellbeing of our community, and that of our neighboring communities. The management of the Ogden Airport (OGD) is essential to that and we take extensive measures to ensure we meet all local and federal guidelines. OGD is regulated by the FAA and is subject to yearly inspections ensuring that the operation and management of the airport meets strict federal requirements. As part of this annual inspection, the Runway Protection Zone or RPZ is evaluated each year to ensure compliance with safety standards. The RPZ is in place to enhance the protection of people and property on the ground and are the zones in which the FAA exercises authority to limit or control development standards. These standards continue to develop and become more restrictive over time, which may call for additional “buffer” space in newer developments, but in the case of OGD and our surrounding area, are grandfathered as the airport and surrounding neighborhoods have coexisted over several decades. There are no recommendations or sanctions in place from that would require OGD to increase the RPZ as we meet federal standards. Most incidents happen outside of the RPZ.

Pilots and operators are also responsible to maintain FAA compliance to ensure that their equipment is well maintained and operable, and that pilots are properly trained and certified. These standards are enforced by the FAA, not by the airports they operate out of. Unfortunately, mechanical failure or pilot error can lead to a plane crash or emergency landing.”

McBride also said the airport has not been found liable for any crashes and that there is no pending litigation related to any crashes.

_____