There have been some notable development since the last Airport Report.
The crash of the Amazon 767 in Miami on 9/6/2026 is a graphic example of what happens when the pilot in command does not abort a dangerous and unstable approach when he is too fast and too high to land safely. In that case, the pilot had the option under 14 CFR 91.3 to make a go-around. But at Torrance Airport, that option is not available to pilots during evenings, on weekends or during city holidays. Torrance Municipal Code (TMC) 51.5.6 & TMC 51.5.7 prohibit at those times any "action by an aircraft consisting of an approach over the Airport for a landing where the pilot intentionally does not make contact with the runway."
The pilot of the 767 realized that he would be unable to stop and applied take-off power in an attempt to return to flight, but too late. At Torrance Airport, an action by an aircraft consisting of a landing and departure on a runway without stopping or exiting the runway is defined in TMC 51.5.1 as a touch-and-go and is prohibited by TMC 51.5.5.
These two flight safety procedures are taught to student pilots from their very first lesson.
Considering that Congress gave the FAA exclusive authority to regulate flight operations in the airspace of the United States and that the FAA and national aviation organizations have stated to the City of Torrance officials multiple times that "state and local governments lack the authority to regulate airspace use, management and efficiency; air traffic control; and aircraft noise at its source," I asked the City Attorney what he believes gives the City of Torrance the legal authority override this federal law?
At the Airport Commission meeting 9/10/2026, Mr Megerdichian read a statement by the City Attorney which stated why the Airport Commission would not be permitted to discuss this issue. However, it contained no answer to my question about the City's authority to override federal law.
Mr Megerdichian refused to give me a copy of Sullivan's statement. As I recall, the City Attorney's statement contained some false statements. To set the record straight:
The prohibition of "low approaches" (TMC 51.5.6 & TMC 51.5.7 ) is clearly an encroachment on the FAA's exclusive authority in this area and presents dangerous restrictions on standard flight safety procedures.
Sarah Leavitt (FAA's Deputy Assistant Chief Counsel and lead investigator) on 8/31/2026 e-mailed me to say that "the FAA continues to evaluate the preemption matters. . " This, she said, requires the coordination both within and outside of the agency.
The FAA informed me that FAA Order 8260.3 states "Missed Approach Segment. A missed approach procedure must be established for each instrument approach procedure." If the city is serious about prohibiting missed approaches, the approach plates for Torrance MUST have a notation that the approach is illegal during evenings, on weekends and city holidays. No such changes have been made.
Officials with AOPA have also been in contact with the FAA and they believe that the FAA is waiting for the city to prosecute someone before they take legal action against the city. We hope the FAA reconsiders in view of the safety issues this creates.
Congressman Ted Lieu (Councilmember Betty Lieu's husband) and Senator Adam Schiff have both assigned members of their staff to monitor this issue and have had contact with the FAA.
At the Airport Commission on 8/13/2026, noise abatement staff reported that they had identified 182 "alleged violations" of the early left turn prohibition and 6 "alleged violations" of the low approach prohibition during the first half of 2026. They claimed that prosecutions of the "violators" would commence " soon."
Under the California Public Record Act, I requested copies of all Notice of Violation letters (like the one I had received) that the City sent to these "alleged violators."
No "violation" letters have been issued.