GAITHERSBURG, Md. — The Gaithersburg community is dealing with another plane crash in less than 10 years.
In 2014, a small plane crashed into a house killing everyone on board as well as a mother and her two children inside their house. It has people in Gaithersburg talking about whether an airport being so close to commercial and residential properties is safe.
Some neighbors say accidents happen and overall, they’re not too worried about their proximity to an airport. But they are asking pilots who do fly into this airport, to be more cautious.
“They come in fairly low," John Shirey said.
Walking his dog in their Gaithersburg neighborhood, John Shirey says he was somewhat shocked by the plane crash on Sunday.
“You usually don't think of it, you just- you hear the planes, and then something like this happens,” he said.
Left in the dark for hours after the plane crashed into a Pepco power pole, he couldn’t help but think of the deadly crash from 2014. Shirey lives just steps away from the house on Drop Forge Lane, where a plane crashed killing three of his neighbors.
“It's the second one in a few years, so, I don't know if there's anything they can do about it just pilots need to be more careful I think,” Shirey said.
The Montgomery County Air Park is roughly three miles away from Sunday's crash site. When asked whether changes could be coming to this small airport in a news briefing on Monday, County Executive Marc Elrich said those decisions are beyond his control.
“As I understand that, the FAA pretty much calls all the shots on this. We will be talking about if they call the shots and they're responsible for why a person was where they were at this time they were supposed to be honest if they were on an automated approach. I want to know what their responses to this,” Elrich said.
Shirey said the airport was here long before their houses and low-flying airplanes comes with the territory.
“Everyone knew, I think, when they when bought here they'd have it, you know so it's part of the thing here. They do come in, a couple jets, couple others, but you get used to it nearly get used to the guys practicing with their touching goes,”
We spoke to a number of neighbors throughout the day, and the consensus was that accidents happen. While some of them do have concerns, they’re not sure closing the airport is the solution.
A small plane crashed into power lines in Gaithersburg, Maryland, knocking out power for thousands across Montgomery County.