Deadly crash sparks debate over airfields near Chilean cities

A deadly plane crash in Chile’s southern Los Lagos region has sparked a debate on whether airfields should be located near residential areas.

The incident took place at regional capital Puerto Montt, where a small plane crashed into a house. All six people traveling on the plane died, while two others were injured at the site.

In response, Puerto Montt mayor Gervoy Paredes said he would create a working group with the regional government, the housing and public works ministries, and the civil aviation office, to discuss a potential change of the La Paloma airfield, where the flight originated and which is located in a residential area.

Paredes pointed out that the city government does not have the authority to close down the airfield by its own decision.

In contrast, Los Lagos governor Harry Jürgensen told Radio Cooperativa that the airfield is the second busiest in the country and it has only registered three accidents in the last 11 years.

In 2008, a plane departing from capital Santiago’s Tobalaba airfield crashed on a sports field in the city’s Peñalolén district, killing 13 people.

This accident triggered an investigation determining that a new airfield was needed to reduce the high number of of flights near the urban areas of Santiago, leading to the construction of the Peldehue airfield, which is still underway.