Yesterday - Early Morning Small Jet Crash in Military Housing neighborhood....

[haele]

Just before 4am; six on the jet died, an entire street block and dozens of parked cars on fire, one home destroyed, nine others damaged. And over 100 residents - military families - and their pets (excepting fish) within blocks of the impact evacuated to safety within around 15 minutes of the crash. Only eight people on the ground ended up being treated - on site - mainly for smoke inhalation.
Trained neighbors helping neighbors even before first responders arrived on scene. It would have been so much worse if this happened in any other neighborhood.
This should have been a "good news in a disaster" type of story, no?
Guys, Gals, and their older kids jumping into action, going through burning jet fuel to help their neighbors bring kids and pets out of the danger zone within minutes.

https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/murphy-canyon-plane-crash-live-updates/3831321/

Disclaimer - we live 5 miles away; Laz and I were up while I was getting ready for work, sounded like a firework went off at one of the stadiums nearby.

Now for the actual reason for this post - the problem that Congress could have fixed a long time ago if they had the will to improve the FAA systems and problems with small commuter airports -
As a background: The jet was approaching one of our local smaller commuter airports (on top of a rather high mesa that has had the city grow up around it over the decades) in heavy fog. The Montgomery Field airport tower is only open between 0600 to 11pm on a daily basis; and more importantly, the automated control and landing systems were offline.
The nearest control towers that are actively manned or broadcasting is the Miramar Marine Corps Air Base (about 3 miles away at around 100ft. lower altitude) and San Diego Lindberg International Airport (about 4 miles away at sea level). Because of the geography of San Diego, the altitude information and weather conditions broadcast both towers were radically different than would have been at the field the pilot was trying to land at, and while he could triangulate to get his course, he had no beacon to give him to align his altitude to, so he was coming in low in heavy fog.

The FAA approved and maintained automated control systems at these small commuter systems are in serious obsolescence because the Government - both Congress and Administration - has basically delayed proper funding to seriously modernize the overall Air Control system to handle even current available technology, nor do they seem to be serious about a national initiative to incorporate proven upgrades to the thousands of small rural and commuter airports; leaving it up to states and local regions to come up with the funds to modernize.
Upgrading the FAA on a national scale can easily be a "Moon Shot" initiative.
But because they're looking at returns vs. risks - the "onsie/twosie" crash and fatality events - it's no big deal to either the funding side or the political side.
Not until major celebrities and politicians start going down regularly in small planes.

[question everything]

1. All the while traffic of private jets has increased and has contributed to pollution

Yes, at some point a celebrity or a politician may be affected.

Really sad story.

[cbabe]

2. Smaller airports don't have tsa screenings. If security challenges are real, I would be concerned. (sarcasm)

[haele]

3. Well, that is true. If they were concerned -

There'd be some sort of screening requirement at all small air fields, and private airfields would have to be registered.
I'm pretty sure there's small planes operate out of the US near the Border to trade guns for drugs with a wink from ICE or the local CBP.
"Hey, I'm just flying for my Church charity delivering clothes and medical supplies to remote, poor Mexican communities..."

[malaise]

4. Horrific

Saw it in the news