After fatal crash, Broward mayor aims to address decades of concerns about North Perry Airport safety

PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. – Broward County Mayor Steve Geller said on Tuesday that after a fatal Beechcraft Bonanza plane crash on Monday he decided to look into the safety of the airport.

The plane took off from North Perry Airport in Pembroke Pines, landed on a residential street, and crashed into a sports utility vehicle with a boy and his mother.

Four-year-old Taylor Bishop and the two people in the plane died.

“There are a couple of more accidents here because North Perry is each year either the busiest or the second busiest airport,” Geller said referring to the state. “The only other airport that is as busy as this is Tamiami Airport in Miami.”

Geller said there have been 14 plane crashes at North Perry Airport over the last five years. Residents have had concerns for decades.

“North Perry is a safe airport … it is no more on average per take-off and landing than any other airport in South Florida,” Geller said, adding closing the airport isn’t an option.

According to the Florida Department of Transportation, the airport houses eight flight instruction schools, and about 75% of annual operations are related to flight training.

Geller said the Broward County Aviation Department is going to be looking at whether or not the flight schools are a problem and if there need to be additional criteria on the safety of the planes.

“I am sure we are not making a lot of money on this airport. It’s done as a service to the community,” Geller said.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the Monday plane crash.