When San Diego introduced an unleaded aviation fuel option at Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport in November 2024, officials framed the rollout as a step toward cleaner skies. Reality on the ground paints a vastly different picture. Pilots have purchased a mere two dozen gallons of the cleaner alternative, while more than 1 million gallons of leaded fuel have coursed through the airfield’s pumps over the same timeframe.
Federal data secured by inewsource reveals that the city-owned Kearny Mesa facility—known to the Federal Aviation Agency as MYF—stands as the highest lead-polluting general aviation airport in the country. Operations at the airfield reached a stark milestone last year, selling a greater volume of leaded fuel than in any year in over a decade, inewsource found.
Flight School Training Routes Target Dense Neighborhoods
The heavy volume of leaded fuel largely feeds a steady fleet of training aircraft. Private flight schools operating at the airfield, including Coast Air, cater to student pilots who spend hours mastering flight fundamentals. These trainees rely heavily on touch-and-go drills, repeatedly descending to land and immediately lifting off again without coming to a complete stop.
Footage of Monday's fatal crash of Cessna 172N Skyhawk N734ZK at Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport in San Diego on 7 September 2026 that killed both people on board https://t.co/AEDOzrpqRj
Flight paths for these repetitive maneuvers trace directly over or within 2 miles of more than 30 local schools and childcare centers. Because aircraft release roughly half their total exhaust during takeoff and landing phases, nearby communities absorb a concentrated stream of combustion byproducts.
Public health authorities maintain that no level of lead exposure is safe for humans. Unlike commercial airliner fuel and car gasoline—which banned lead starting in the 1970s—piston-powered aircraft burn leaded fuel, distributing neurotoxins directly over residential areas.
Brief contact with airborne lead can permanently impair a child’s neurological development, leading to shortened attention spans, reduced IQ scores, and stunted growth. High-risk locations beneath the flight paths include Olive Grove Park, James Madison High, Lafayette Elementary, Sequoia Elementary, Clairemont Canyons Academy, Innovation Middle, and Reformation Lutheran.
Regulatory Timelines Clash With Urgent Community Demands
The Environmental Protection Agency formally concluded in 2023 that emissions from aircraft burning leaded gasoline endanger public health. Responding to mounting pressure, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the first state law banning leaded aviation fuel, though that prohibition does not take effect until 2031.
At the federal level, the FAA’s EAGLE initiative targets 2030 for ending its use. Yet local clean-air advocates argue that waiting years for these broad mandates allows unnecessary contamination to persist daily.
Robert Germann, a clean-air campaigner in San Diego for nearly 15 years, told inewsource that municipal leadership has remained passive while the local hazard worsens. He contends that the city should mandate clean fuel adoption immediately, particularly for commercial entities profiting directly from airport operations.
Other jurisdictions have already implemented aggressive local interventions. Santa Clara County halted the sale of leaded fuel at its Reid-Hillview and San Martin airports, while Torrance prohibited touch-and-go landings to minimize neighborhood pollution.
Industry Skepticism and the Search for Market-Ready Substitutes
Local fuel providers remain unconvinced that partial bans can succeed without sweeping industry changes. Crownair Aviation partnered with the city to offer the transitional unleaded fuel known as UL94, but Ray Richmond, the company’s president, expressed doubt that stopgap measures will significantly move the needle.
According to the city’s own master plan for the airport, more than 93% of the planes at MYF are piston-powered and therefore burn leaded fuel. Richmond noted that without a fully compatible, affordable and widely available replacement, products like UL94 won’t change much.
Frustrated residents are demanding immediate accountability outside of official timelines. More than 500 people have signed a Change.org petition calling for six concrete restrictions, ranging from limits on flights to monthly public reporting.
As the community weighs the health of thousands of children against the economic footprint of local flight academies, the debate over who bears the cost of cleaner air at Montgomery-Gibbs remains fiercely contested.
