FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — Residents of Sierra Sky Park, a fly-in community in northwest Fresno known for its aviation-centered design, are mourning what community members describe as one of the worst tragedies in the neighborhood’s history following a plane crash that killed four members of a local family.<\/p>\n
Sierra Sky Park features planes parked in driveways, extra-wide streets, and a runway that runs through the middle of the neighborhood. Established by Dorris and Bill Smilie in 1946, the community was the world’s first of its kind and was originally surrounded by agricultural land.<\/p>\n
“It’s very rare where you have an airport in the neighborhood and community,” said Mike Karbassi, Fresno Councilmember.<\/p>\n
Karbassi said the neighborhood has existed for decades and became surrounded as the city expanded.<\/p>\n
“The Sierra Skypark has been here for such a long time. The city didn’t even have any property in this area; the city grew and surrounded the sky park, but we do coexist with them,” Karbassi said.<\/p>\n
The community was shaken this weekend by a crash that killed Danna Eady, her husband Craig and their two children. Eady was president of the local Experimental Aircraft Association chapter, headquartered in the neighborhood.<\/p>\n
“Because it’s a fly-in community, the residents are a lot closer to each other; the impact of this is going to be heavier on them,” Karbassi said.<\/p>\n
While aircraft crashes are uncommon in the area, several incidents have occurred over the years.<\/p>\n
In August 1983, Action News cameras recorded the aftermath of a crash that injured several people.<\/p>\n
“This piper came in just a little bit too low there, and the front wheel hit the rod iron fence that is adjacent to the road here on Herndon,” a person said in archive footage from 1983.<\/p>\n
In 2008, a plane approaching to land was too low and struck the top of a delivery truck, tearing off the truck’s roof.<\/p>\n
In 2016, two people were killed when, according to the National Transportation Safety Board, a plane made an “abnormally steep takeoff climb followed by loss of control.”<\/p>\n
In 2020, a single-engine aircraft overturned in the westbound lanes of Herndon Avenue.<\/p>\n
Despite those incidents, Karbassi said crashes have been infrequent.<\/p>\n
“There really haven’t been that many problems in the last 30-40 years other than a handful of incidents. This to me is the worst one,” Karbassi said.<\/p>\n
He said the loss of four family members, including two children, makes the tragedy especially difficult for the close-knit community.<\/p>\n
“This is the first time I can recall having so many lives lost. But because two of them are children, it creates a lot more reality, and unfortunately it’s tragic,” Karbassi said.<\/p>\n
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