An airport in Broomfield has had the most safety incidents in the entire country, according to a memo from the Federal Aviation Administration.
The document, shared by the mayor of Superior with Denverite, came out in June and says that the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport leads the country in the number of “Potentially Significant Events,” or PSEs — a blanket term that includes incidents on the runway as well as airborne safety issues.
The memo came out weeks after a fatal plane crash after an aircraft took off from RRMA in May. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot reported that a door of the plane had popped open.
The Town of Superior obtained the document through a Freedom of Information Act request.
RMMA is the fourth busiest airport in the state, according to the City of Louisville, but has had more PSEs than DIA, the sixth busiest in the entire world.
Neither the FAA nor the airport would provide Denverite with the exact number of PSEs that had occurred.
Use of the airport is growing, causing a change in flight paths and operations, the FAA acknowledged. In 2022, there was a takeoff or landing at the airport on average every three minutes, according to its website.
An FAA spokesperson wrote in a statement to Denverite that they have adjusted their operating procedures at RMMA to enhance air traffic safety and efficiency.
RMMA is a public-use airport, meaning pilots and planes don’t need prior approval from the airport to land, and it doesn’t have restricted access.
The airport is owned and operated by Jefferson County and spans about 1,000 acres of property. It has three runways.
In response to questions from Denverite, the airport emphasized that routing decisions rest with the FAA.
“The FAA periodically updates internal procedures to enhance safety and efficiency in the airspace,” a spokesperson for RMMA wrote to Denverite. “These internal communications are between FAA staff and FAA air traffic controllers. They do not originate from RMMA and were not developed by airport staff.”
The flight plans, according to the Jeffco website, are directed by the FAA via an air traffic control tower that follows a standardized traffic pattern. The tower chooses which runway an incoming plane will land based on wind conditions.
Jeffco’s website also states that the FAA doesn’t set capacity limits at public airports.
Jeffco listed governmental research, aerial firefighting services, charters, corporate flight departments, aircraft maintenance and flight training schools as the airport’s main users, as well as private aircraft owners.
At the end of the FAA memo, it says that a working group would start meeting at the end of June to address the issues raised. The FAA also said it was going to encourage flight schools to collaborate on different traffic patterns.
“RMMA remains committed to transparency and community engagement,” RMMA wrote. “While we do not have authority over air traffic routing decisions, we continue to share community concerns with the FAA and provide updates when information becomes available.”
