Twin Engine Aircraft Pilot Starts Fire at Bend Municipal Airport

June 13, 2023

 

Photo Source: Bend Fire and Rescue

On June 7, 2023 at around 1:40 pm an 81-year-old California pilot in a twin engine aircraft ignited a fuel pump fire while preparing to take-off from the Bend Municipal Airport in Central Oregon.

According to a KOIN 6 News report, Airplane, Fueling Station Catch Fire at Bend Airport, "the $300,000 plane is a total loss, while the loss to the fuel pump system is estimated at $250,000...Officials determined that the aircraft had just finished refueling when the pilot attempted to maneuver around the fueling station but instead clipped the fuel cover...Approximately 180 gallons of fuel was in the aircraft and was still leaking after the fire."

A report by the KBTV News Channel, Plane's Wing Clips Bend Airport Fuel Pumps' Awning Support, Ignites Fire, Prompts Evacuation, Road Closures, stated, "Initial concerns of the fuel tanks exploding prompted the evacuation of areas up to 1 1/2 miles away and closure of Powell Butte Highway for a short time, until the fire was out. The airport's air traffic was shut down until 5 p.m. to ensure the safety of those on the ground and those landing...By the time the fierce fire was out, the plane was heavily damaged, but no injuries were reported. The black smoke plume was visible for several miles in all directions."

As explained by Fire Marshall, Dan Derlacki, "Two above-ground tanks supply the fuel pumps; one had 6,000 gallons of aviation fuel in it, the other 3,000 gallons of jet fuel. Approximately 180 gallons of fuel was in the aircraft and was still leaking after the fire."

Neither of these reports discussed the lead emissions and other toxins released into the air as a result of the accident. Piston-engine aircraft use leaded fuel. There is no safe level of lead in a child's blood. Even small amounts can cause adverse and potentially irreversible health impacts.

Background on the Bend Municipal Airport

Bend Municipal Airport (BDN) is a general aviation airport, owned and operated by the City of Bend. Since it is located outside city limits, Deschutes County has jurisdiction over land use issues. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Terminal Area Forecast (TAF) records reveal that in the 25 years that elapsed between 1995 and 2020, operations at this facility increased seven-fold, from 18,910 in 1995 to 141,175 in 2020. During this same time-frame, repetitive local touch-and-go training operations increased ten-fold.

Before Connect Oregon was established by the Oregon Legislature in 2005, Bend Municipal was the 14th largest airport in the state. As a direct result of enormous government hand-outs – federal, state and local – this flight training facility has become the third busiest airport in Oregon with more operations than all other airports in the state except Portland International and Hillsboro Airport.

Due to the dominance of lead emitting, piston-engine aircraft at this facility, BDN is now the second most lead polluting airport in Oregon. In addition, out of 20,000 airports nationwide, it is among the top 100 lead polluting airports in the entire country. A review of 2017 EPA National Emissions Inventory reveals that BDN is the number one facility source of lead in Deschutes County.