Previous plane crash victim Roy warns of future crashes

ROY, Utah (KUTV) — In another plane crash in Roy this week, an earlier victim issued a warning.

2News archives show that since 1999, there have been nearly a dozen plane crashes near the Ogden airport, including one in 2005 in which a grand piano landed on Paul Genovesi’s home.

Now that another crash has occurred this week, Genovesi warns it will happen again if nothing is done.

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

Genovesi lives in Roy, near Ogden-Hinkley Airport. He says planes fly low over his house all the time.

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

Now, almost 20 years later, he and the rest of Roy still see plane crashes near them, like the one on Wednesday.

It is something that affects him and his family deeply.

“My wife was pregnant and she went into labor six weeks early… because it was so scary when the wing hit her,” he said.

Genovesi has been trying for years to do something about the airport, the low-flying planes and the flight paths.

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

“They just don’t care. Ogden-Hinkley Airport, they just don’t care what Roy does,” Genovesi said.

On Thursday, Roy Mayor told 2news about his idea to move the airport to western Weber County.

Genovesi supports that plan, or any other plan that solves the problem, because he warns it will happen again and the next time could be tragic.

“I’m very emotional about that because I believe many more people will die,” he said.

On Thursday, 2news sent a series of questions to the city of Ogden about the airport. Here are a few:

• What has the airport done to improve the safety of people living near the airport since the last crash in the surrounding community in 2020?
• What is the airport doing now to improve safety for local residents?
• Is there any consideration being given to increasing a buffer zone around the airport through expropriation or other measures?
• Have any changes been made to the approach and take-off procedures or protocols, or is the airport currently considering them?

The city’s Mike McBride responded with the statement below:

“Ogden is committed to the safety and well-being of our community and that of our neighbors. The management of Ogden Airport (OGD) is essential to that and we take extensive measures to ensure that we comply with all local and federal guidelines. OGD is regulated by the FAA and is subject to annual inspections to ensure that the airport’s operations and management meet strict federal requirements. As part of this annual inspection, the Runway Protection Zone or RPZ is evaluated annually to ensure compliance with safety standards. The RPZ are in place to enhance the protection of people and property on the ground and are the zones in which the FAA exercises the authority to restrict or control development standards. These standards continue to evolve and become more restrictive over time, which may require additional “buffer” space in newer developments, but in the case of OGD and our surrounding area, they carry over because the airport and surrounding neighborhoods have coexisted for decades. There are no recommendations or sanctions in place that would require OGD to increase the RPZ because we are in compliance with federal standards. Most incidents occur outside the RPZ.

Pilots and operators are also responsible for adhering to FAA standards to ensure their equipment is properly maintained and operational, and that pilots are properly trained and certified. These standards are enforced by the FAA, not the airports they operate from. Unfortunately, mechanical failure or pilot error can result in an aircraft crash or emergency landing.”

McBride also said the airport has not been held liable for the crashes and that there are no pending lawsuits over the crashes.

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