FAA Investigating Santa Clara For Airport Maintenance Issues

The FAA has notified Santa Clara County it is investigating noncompliance issues at Reid-Hillview and San Martin Airports with an eye to getting safety issues fixed. In an April 8 letter, the agency detailed a long list of areas it would be looking at on the field including signage and runway markings, areas of pavement undermined by ground squirrels and weed issues on the edge of various paved areas.

The agency says in the letter it's been discussing the issues for years with the county but hasn't seen much action. Reid-Hillview especially has been under neighbor pressure for years, and the county has said it wants to close the facility and build affordable housing on the site. The county has also banned the sale of leaded fuel at the airport to prevent exposure to lead by neighboring residents.

Meanwhile, it's a relatively busy regional airport with about 350 based aircraft and more than 500 movements a day on average, so the agency says it needs to be properly maintained. It's a federally obligated airport in that it has received a total of $11.6 million from the government for various projects over the years, the most recent being a $46,692 grant for taxiway work in 2011. San Martin, which is much less busy, got $600,000 in 2021. Taking the money requires the county "to maintain and operate its airport facilities safely and efficiently and in accordance with specified conditions," the agency said in its letter.