An F/A-18 fighter aircraft. (Source: Department of Defense)VIRGINIA BEACH, VA (RNN) - At the time of the fiery jet crash near Virginia
Beach, VA, the Navy had tabled plans to move the airfield to an area farther
removed from civilian populations.
According to the Virginia Pilot, the Navy had plans to move the landing
field, but the plan became hung up over whether the new field would be used for
new fighter jets. Plans to move the airfield were pushed back to 2014.
Residents surrounding Oceana Naval Air Station and Fentress Naval Auxiliary
Landing Field in Chesapeake, VA, had complained for years the noise from the
jets lowered their property values.
After 2,000 property owners filed individual lawsuits over the claims, the
Navy settled with the plaintiffs for $34.4 million. Attempts to certify a class
action lawsuit, filed in the U.S.
Court of Federal Claims in April 2001, were denied.
Oceana Naval Air Station was commissioned in 1943, when most of the
surrounding land was farmland or swamp. According to the Oceana website, the
base has 7 miles of runways.
When the fighter jet crashed into an apartment complex near Virginia Beach,
VA, on Friday, Fentress had been closed for maintenance work.
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