MAGEE, Miss. (WJTV) – Brien Hubbard flies out of the Magee City Airport to and from Atlanta, but lately he doesn’t feel safe. In February, he had a fuel leak.
“A mechanic come because I had a fuel leak, and we found sediment in the gascolator of the helicopter,” said pilot Brien Hubbard.
Hubbard said he then discovered the filter on the fuel system at the airport had not been changed in over six months.
“It shows the elements were changed in August 2020. It also shows when it was due to be changed August 2021. This is a very serious safety concern and it’s the reason why the filter had not been changed is the reason there was sediment in my fuel tank,” said Hubbard.
Hubbard said the sediment in a fuel tank can cause an engine to stall out.
Sediment or foreign substance can be catastrophic. The National Transportation Safety Board ruled a 2012 plane crash in Jackson where three people was the result of water found in a fuel tank.
Hubbard voiced his safety concerns at the February 15 city council meeting.
“I drafted a letter to the city leadership the mayor and board of aldermen at large and read my letter to them about my concerns and about the city’s leadership’s unwillingness to manage the airport department because of the relationship of one alderman and airport manager.”
Ashley Steele has been airport manager for about 17 years. She is the niece in law of former Alderman Lane Steele.
“He was not present when I was hired. He excused himself for all aspects of that. and I’m not a department head and I’m only kin to him by marriage, so he did not have a hand anything concerning my hiring so I would say that is not why I’m in the position,” said Steele.
The mayor told us the airport started when five businessmen wanted a place to keep their planes and someone to watch over them. the airport manager lives on the property. Steele said she is qualified for the job or she wouldn’t have been hired.
“The qualifications for manager is to maintain the airport to keep the grounds clean. I am not to touch an airplane. it’s self-service. My only job is to keep fuel out there for them to purchase and to keep the grounds and buildings clean and up to code,” said Steele.
The airport insists the fuel does not contain any contaminants.
“Right now we have checked out our fuel. Our samples are clean. It’s currently being sent to the lab to be tested for contaminants you can’t see. when we order fuel the company does tests before they bring it us.”
Hubbard’s airport concerns go back to August 2019 when he claims no was posted and the fuel tank was empty. A second pilot has also filed a complaint with the FAA.
“When you’re flying, you can’t pull out on the side of the road. I don’t know how to express how severe the safety concern is for the safety of the pilots,” said Hubbard.
According to the FAA, a notice to air missions, also known as a notam, alerts pilots of potential hazards along the flight route.
“I’m not sure why he says they are not there because every time he has brought it to my attention I can call notam and they tell me exactly what my notam says. so the notams are put out, the notams are checked.”
Steele said the airport is maintained daily but Hubbard says there’s no logs or schedules to show work being performed.
The FAA would not comment on the matter other than confirming they are aware of the allegations and are looking into the complaints.
The FAA will try to figure out if the airport is in violation of its airport improvement grant and then put together a corrective action plan for the City of Magee. The FAA could suspend a discretionary grant if it finds the airport is in non-compliance. The suspension would remain in effect until the airport comes back into compliance.