Vandenberg Airport

, located in unincorporated Hillsborough County, Florida 6 mi (10 km) east of Tampa, is a general aviation airport servicing the downtown Tampa business traffic, as it is only 15 minutes from the heart of Tampa. Vandenberg has two runways, one 3,264 feet and the other 5,000 feet. Vandenberg is operated by Leading Edge Aviation Services. The airport is located near the intersection of I-4 and I-75. The airport is open 7:00 A.M. - 8:00 P.M. 7 days a week, and after-hours service is available upon request.

Accidents

On July 17 2008, a single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza crashed shortly after takeoff after clipping an antenna tower. [Tampa Tribune, [http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/jul/17/plane-fire-vandenberg-airport/?imw=Y] ] One of the aircraft's wings was torn from the plane. As a result of the wing damage, the aircraft crash landed short of runway 23 in an open field area and burst into flames. All three passengers on board were killed. The pilot was a volunteer for Angel Flight which transports non-emergency medical patients to and from area medical centers for treatment. The passenger being transported had just finished treatment for cancer.

External links

* [http://www.tampaairport.com/about/general_aviation/vdf.asp Home page]

References

* [http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/jul/17/plane-fire-vandenberg-airport/?imw=Y Tampa Tribune]