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Residents who live near North Side neighborhood airstrip unfazed by most recent airplane mishap

Twin Oaks Airport has existed among homes, trees for decades

SAN ANTONIO – People who live near an airport, located in the middle of a North Side neighborhood, said they are not especially concerned after the most recent mishap involving a private plane.

The aircraft, which appeared from a distance to be a Cessna, came to rest around 3 p.m. Tuesday in the middle of Heimer Road.

A San Antonio police officer on scene at the time told KSAT 12 News that the pilot, for some unknown reason, had failed to stop at the end of the runway.

The plane then broke through a chain-link fence around the airport’s perimeter and stopped in the street, just a few feet from the backyard of some homes.

The tiny airport sits in the middle of a neighborhood off Heimer road, surrounded by homes and tall trees. (KSAT 12 News)

Roland Rios, who lives near the other end of the runway, said he heard about it in a call from his wife.

“She was on the way picking up the grandkids from school, and she alerted me about the accident,” Rios said. “So then I rushed out to take a quick look.”

Rios, who built his home in the flight path more than 20 years ago, said the incident was unexpected but not exactly surprising.

“We knew the landing strip was there when we moved in. It didn’t cause us any concern,” he said.

Back in the neighborhood closer to the plane’s resting place, Garrett Townzen also shrugged off what happened.

He has lived in his home, located around the corner from the airport, for about five years.

“I feel like it’s just a freak accident,” Townzen said. “I saw how close it was to our house, but nothing that I’m worried about here in the future.”

He said he has heard scary stories in the past, though, from a pilot friend who uses the airstrip occasionally.

“(The friend) said out of all the runways that he’s taken off and landed, that it’s definitely the toughest,” Townzen said.

The airport, which is somewhat of a secret to most San Antonians, is nestled in the North Side neighborhood among homes and tall trees.

At 2,225 feet long, the runway is less than one-third of the length of the one at San Antonio International Airport.

“There was an accident once before,” Rios said. “I was pressure washing the sidewalk, and the plane came down. I think the front tire collapsed.”

Rios said in that incident no one was hurt.

Police said everyone on the plane involved in Tuesday’s mishap also walked away.

According to the National Transportation Safety Board’s online database, which dates back to 1962, there have been several incidents and accidents at Twin Oaks Airport over the years.

Although a few involved serious injuries, most involved minor injuries or none at all.

The database did not show any deaths at that location.

The causes of the plane problems included everything from strong winds to pilot error.

At least one other crash, in 1975, listed the cause as the plane running off the end of the runway.

In response to an email from KSAT 12 News, a National Transportation Safety Board representative said the most recent incident at Twin Oaks Airport is still under investigation.

KSAT 12 News also sent an email to the airport’s management, requesting information on the possible cause of the crash, the number of people on board, and what changes, if any, they plan to make to the airstrip.

A representative promised to respond but had not done so by mid-afternoon Wednesday.

More related coverage on KSAT:


About the Authors
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Katrina Webber joined KSAT 12 in December 2009. She reports for Good Morning San Antonio. Katrina was born and raised in Queens, NY, but after living in Gulf Coast states for the past decade, she feels right at home in Texas. It's not unusual to find her singing karaoke or leading a song with her church choir when she's not on-air.

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