Low flight concerns Maine Yankee

WISCASSET – A report of a low-altitude flight by a light plane near Maine Yankee early this month has raised concerns about safety procedures near the closed nuclear plant.

Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, asked the Federal Aviation Administration and the Transportation Security Administration to review its procedures for protecting nuclear power facilities.

“Small and rural communities must have confidence that the administration is working to safeguard the local airspace around these facilities,” Snowe said.

The incident occurred July 9 when a light plane was spotted by the plant’s security at low altitude over Maine Yankee, which has been in the process of being decommissioned since 1997, said plant spokesman Eric Howes.

“Our security did just what it is supposed to do,” Howes said. “It notified the FAA, the FBI, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Wiscasset police.”

Air traffic controllers at Brunswick Naval Air Station eventually identified the aircraft by its tail numbers. The FAA determined that the flyover was “inadvertent,” caused when a plane approaching the Wiscasset Airport circled to avoid another approaching plane.

After the Sept. 11 attacks, the FAA warned pilots that flights near nuclear facilities may be reported and investigated.

The Wiscasset Airport changed its procedure so that planes landing there use an approach that does not take them over Maine Yankee airspace.

“Since the FAA advisory last fall,” Howes said, “we’re seeing very few planes.”

But Snowe, upon learning of the incident, requested a security briefing and feedback on ways to prevent violations of nuclear airspace by light aircraft.

The senator wanted to be sure the incident didn’t highlight a problem, said her spokesman, Dave Lackey.

“A light aircraft wouldn’t pose a threat to Maine Yankee,” Lackey said. “But the senator wanted to make sure authorities have the proper information to respond.”