Pellston Regional Airport

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Pellston Regional Airport
of Emmet County
Pellston Michigan Airport Terminal.jpg
IATA: PLNICAO: KPLNFAA LID: PLN
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner Emmet County
Location Pellston, Michigan
Elevation AMSL 720 ft / 219 m
Coordinates 45°34′15″N 84°47′48″W / 45.57083°N 84.79667°W / 45.57083; -84.79667Coordinates: 45°34′15″N 84°47′48″W / 45.57083°N 84.79667°W / 45.57083; -84.79667
Website www.PellstonAirport.com
Map
PLN is located in Michigan
PLN
Location of airport in Michigan
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
5/23 5,401 1,646 Asphalt
14/32 6,513 1,985 Asphalt
Statistics (2012)
Total passengers 48,661 Increase 7%
Total enplanements 24,473 Increase 8%
Aircraft operations 10,326
Based aircraft 37
Sources: Federal Aviation Administration,[1][2] Michigan DOT[3]

Pellston Regional Airport (IATA: PLNICAO: KPLNFAA LID: PLN), also known as Pellston Regional Airport of Emmet County, is a public airport located one mile (2 km) northwest of the central business district of Pellston, a village in Emmet County, Michigan, United States.[2]

Mainly a general aviation airport, Pellston Regional Airport also functions as the primary commercial airport for the sparsely populated northern tip of Michigan's Lower Peninsula, owing to its location halfway between the region's primary cities, Petoskey and Cheboygan, as well as its close proximity to the tourist centers of Mackinaw City and Mackinac Island. One commercial airline, Delta Connection,operated by Pinnacle Airlines, currently serves Pellston Regional with three departures and three arrivals daily.

The 35,000 square feet (3,252 m2) northern lodge themed passenger terminal building was constructed in 2003 and designed by architect Paul W. Powers. The new passenger terminal building replaced a smaller terminal building that was demolished. Wireless internet service is available throughout the terminal at no charge to travelers.

Contents

Facilities and aircraft [edit]

Tower

Pellston Regional Airport covers an area of 1,675 acres (678 ha) and contains two asphalt paved runways.

  • Runway 5/23 measuring 5,401 x 150 ft (1,646 x 46 m)
  • Runway 14/32 measuring 6,513 x 150 ft (1,985 x 46 m).[2]

For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2012, the airport had 10,326 aircraft operations (down from 16,421 in 2006), an average of 28 per day: 74% general aviation, 25% scheduled commercial, and <1% military. There are 37 aircraft based at this airport: 86% single engine, 8% multi-engine, 3% jet aircraft, and 3% helicopter.[2]

Airlines and destinations [edit]

Airlines Destinations
Delta Connection operated by Pinnacle Airlines Detroit
Lakeshore Express operated by Pentastar Aviation Seasonal: Chicago-Midway [FBO]

Accidents and incidents [edit]

  • On 15 January 2013, a Cessna 208B Cargomaster, operated by Martinaire and registered as N1120N, crashed shortly after takeoff from Pellston Regional Airport. It came down in a wooded area, there was one fatality.[4]
  • On 13 May 1978, a brand new Piper Cheyenne with less than twenty hours had a CFIT two miles from the departure end of Runway 32 after failing to land at Boyne Falls airport. The NTSB investigation concluded the pilot attempted to land below published minimums for the ILS approach. The weather was extremely foggy at the time with less than 3/8ths mile visibility and 200' ceiling while the approach called for a 600' ceiling and 2 miles visibility. A contributing factor was the finding that the middle marker for Runway 32 was not functioning at the time, possibly contributing to the disorientation of the pilot and his location relative to the airfield. The aircraft was destroyed, there were three fatalities.
  • On 9 May 1970, a Learjet 23, operated by Executive Jet Aviation and registered as N434EJ, crashed into trees and caught fire short of the runway. An investigation concluded that illusions produced by the lack of visual cues during a circling approach over unlighted terrain at night to a runway not equipped with approach lights or other visual approach aids, caused the crash. The aircraft was written off. There were six fatalities.[4]
  • On 23 April 1970, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9, operated by North Central Airlines, destined for Sault Ste. Marie Airport, was hijacked. One hijacker demanded to be taken to Detroit. The hijacker was taken down, there were no fatalities.[4]

References [edit]

  1. ^ Passenger Boarding FAA.gov
  2. ^ a b c d FAA Airport Master Record for PLN (Form 5010 PDF), effective 11/15/2012
  3. ^ Michigan Department of Transportation. Measures of Michigan Air Carrier Demand, Michigan.gov, Retrieved January 7, 2013
  4. ^ a b c "Accident Description 20130115-0". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 16 January 2013. 

External links [edit]