On Thursday, May 22, at 3:45 a.m., San Diego Fire-Rescue and San Diego Police departments responded to a Cessna Citation 550 jet aircraft that crashed into a house on the 3100 block of Salmon Road. It is reported the aircraft was headed toward the City’s Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport at the time of the accident. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and supporting federal agencies will be leading the investigation of this accident.

Here are answers to some frequently asked questions the City has recently received about Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport.

How many operations occur at Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport annually?

Over the past 12 months, Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport has seen more than 386,000 takeoffs and landings.

What are the Airport’s hours of operation?

As a public airport, the Airport is open for takeoffs and landings 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The control tower is staffed from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. After hours, Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport is considered an uncontrolled airport.

How do planes land and take off when the control tower is closed?

There are 5,082 public airports in the United States, and only approximately 10% of them have control towers.

During their training, pilots typically learn how to fly in uncontrolled airspace. They use a Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF), where pilots broadcast their location and intentions to other pilots for awareness and so they can operate safely. This is also the frequency pilots would use when a control tower is closed. Before taking flight, pilots are to check for conditions that may affect their flight at the departing airport, en route and destination airport. This may include weather conditions, construction or others.

Were the Airport’s runway lights working at the time of the accident?

Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport maintains portions of the airfield lighting system, including runway edge lights, also known as runway lights. The Airport confirms the runway lights were operational at the time of the incident.

The FAA, under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the City of San Diego, owns and is responsible for the maintenance of navigational aid facilities and approach lighting for the runway, including the Medium Intensity Approach Lighting System with Runway Alignment Indicator Lights (MALSR) as the approach lighting system for the runway.

Public records reflect that at the time of the accident, there was a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM number 10/008) that advises pilots that the approach lighting system is out of service. NOTAMs for FAA-owned equipment are issued by the FAA.

Was the Airport’s Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS), commonly referred to as the weather reporting system, operational at the time of the plane crash?

Under the same MOU, the FAA owns and is responsible for maintaining weather and communication facilities, including the Automated Surface Observing Station (ASOS) for weather reporting.

It has been reported that the National Weather Service stated the system was not working at the time of the accident. However, Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport was not notified of any outages before the accident, and a NOTAM was not in place for that FAA-owned equipment.

How does the Airport assist in the safety of its users?

Safety is the City’s utmost priority and is achieved through compliance with regulations, procedures and education. The Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport conducts frequent inspections for the integrity and security of the Airport. While there have not been substantial concerns, as part of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)'s Runway Safety Program, Airport staff, the FAA and pilots meet annually to review operations.

Additionally, in order to help pilots better understand the Airport’s unique characteristics and what to pay attention to when flying in and out, the Airport and the FAA worked to create a webpage with a “Know Before You Go” video and information. This video and webpage provide pilots with a better understanding of the airport and what they must be aware of when landing at the Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport, which is in close proximity to San Diego International Airport, Marine Corps Air Station Miramar and Gillespie Field.