CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Efforts to address airport safety continue around the nation after chaotic scenes and more than half a dozen near plane collisions in recent months.
A small aircraft crashed at Dianne Rayfield's Catawba County home.
“We're used to small planes that fly in from Laneys Airport right across the road, but never one crashing in our backyard," Rayfield said.
It wasn't the only one.
In the Carolinas alone, the National Transportation Safety Board recorded at least eight other small aircraft issues over the past two months, including at Lake Hickory where a pilot and passenger died.
"We can't wait for the next catastrophic event to seek the warning signs of today," U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a March impromptu safety summit with aviation leaders.
Since then, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced $121 million will go toward improving some of the nation's largest airports, including adding new lighting and reconfigure taxiways.
The investment comes after more than $100 million was already invested by the agency in the spring.
It's also hired 1,500 new air traffic controllers and is supporting pilots with a new informational video with tips for communicating with controllers avoid mistakes.
Richard McSpadden is with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, supporting general aviation pilots.
He says tens of millions of flights take off each year with no problem.
“So, we’ve had tremendous success in dropping our fatal accidents," McSpadden said. "Of course, we’d like to see it get down to zero."
While large commercial carriers haven't seen issues like small aircrafts in the U.S. recently, federal aviation leaders, including the FAA, say they're committed to finding a solution to close calls.
Contact Kayland Hagwood at khagwood@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.