ML19344E524
| ML19344E524 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Site: | Crane  |
| Issue date: | 05/12/1980 |
| From: | Romano F AIR AND WATER POLLUTION PATROL |
| To: | Harold Denton Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation |
| Shared Package | |
| ML19344E522 | List: |
| References | |
| NUDOCS 8009020171 | |
| Download: ML19344E524 (2) | |
Text
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Pollution Patrol D/d%I
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May 12, 1930 REPLY TO:
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11arold K. Denton Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
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1900 Nuclear Regulatory Coc: mission
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20555 Attn:
Dr. Ilarold K. Denton Gentlemen:
On April 23, 1980, radioactive krypton 85 gas was scheduled for venting from the crippled Unit 2 nuclear reactor at Three }!ile Island, Middictown, eight miles from IIarrisburg, Pennsylvania.
The release, over the strong objections of the people of the area,to-gether with all who oppose the threat frca nuclear reactors, was to enable workmen to enter a compartment from which they might see the damage inside the contain=ent building.
Irrespective of the small amount of krypton that the NRC claims would be involved, the lethal krypton was to be released within one mile of the Middle-town Airport and approximately five miles from the !!arrisburg International Airport.
Both airports are served by passenger jets daily.
As a licensed pilot, on April 23, 1980, I filed a flight plan leaving Turner Airport near Philadelphia at 1:00 p.m.
(1300) flying to I!arrisburg via Lancaster, passing over !!1ddletown to IIstrisburg Interns.ional Airport.
Middletown was filed as the alternate airport.
The evening before; the morning of, and at 1:00 p.m. on April 23, at take-off, I asked the Philadelphia Flight Service Station for weather infor-mation, and specifically whether or not there were any notans connected with my filed flight plan. At each time, I was told there were no r.otams for the Lancaster, Middletown, Harrisburg flight route filed.
At approximately 1:30 p.m., in flight, 1 contacted Phila hlphia Flight Service to modify my flight plan because resultant airspeed, due to winds coming from the general Middletown direction, made progress less than antici-pated, thus necessitating request to close my flight plan one hour later than filed.
It was approved.
I flew south of Lancaster, in contact with Lancaster Approach Control, and then up the Susquehanna, at which time Lancaster Tower gave me, at my re-quest, the !!iddletown Airport Tower frequency.
I decided to land at B!iddle-town instead of IIstrisburg because of delay caused by the wind. Middletown cleared me to land on tunway 31...with no instructions involving the Three Mile Island reactor.
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(2) b on the 'bne leg for runway 31, I had to practically fly over the Three Mile Island cooling towers at approxinately 1400 feet, since runway 31 is al-most lined up with the cooling towers, not much more than a mile or so away.
Af ter landing (approximately 1:45 to 2:00 p.m.), passenger jets (U.S. Airways) ca=e in and took off. After some time, I purchased a New York Sectional map at the Minute Man Flight Office on the Middletown field.
I contacted ground control, then the tower, and was cleared for take-off.
After stopping a~t Hershey airport, I returned to Turner at approximately 4:30 p.m. and contacted Flight Service to close my flight plan as required.
I had made the flight specifically to determine whether or not f1'yers and passengers would be advised prior to entering the Three Mile Island area, to notify them of the danger of lethal krypton, irrespective of amount, which would be present at the glide slope for airplanes landing on runuay 31 that day.
After all,. dilution of the krypton requires ti=e and dispersal, so that the gas would be lethal because less diluted in the airspace over the reactor area, and areas surrounding tha Middletown Airport.
The fact.that there were no notans is irresponsible and such negligence suggests a pattern of withholding danger aspects of radioactivity from nuclear reactors by government. agencies, in particular the NRC.
It must be determined also if the Federal Aviation Authority, which has permitted reactors to be built close to VOR's is also involved in not alerting Flight Service Stations to protect those whose filed flight plans place them
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in the air space where lethal radioactive concentrations are being released.
All pilots, and in particular, pilot organizations like AOPA, should pro-test this open disregard for safety of pilots and passengers..I ask the NRC, and the FAA to investigate this breach of their stated prime responsibility to, protect the public and, in particular, I ask a prompt answer indicating proper action to correct this dangerous situation is taken i= mediately. Proper ac-tion would require total prevention of release of lethal radiation into the airspace. Other action would require cessation of flights in upward of 250 to 25,000 cubic miles of air, depending on wind and amount of radioactive gas re-leased. This, of course, would be an unacceptable denial of the freedom of move =ent and infringement of rights of pilots and the aviation industry.
The notice of release for that day, irrespective of amount, should have been made to all immediate areas of Three' Mile Island including the Middletown and the~Harrisburg airport.
If and when other releases, large or small, are to be made, notification by NRC and FAA must be mandatory.
Very truly yours, AIR _& WATER P,0LLUTION PATROL
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