Mecosta Morton Airport
Mecosta Morton Airport | |||||||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||||||
| Owner | MECOSTA VILLAGE/MORTON TWP | ||||||||||||||
| Operator | KJ's Family Restaurant | ||||||||||||||
| Serves | Mecosta, Michigan | ||||||||||||||
| Location | Mecosta County, Michigan | ||||||||||||||
| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (-5) | ||||||||||||||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (-4) | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 1,022 ft / 312 m | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 43°37′50″N 085°15′41″W / 43.63056°N 85.26139°W | ||||||||||||||
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| Runways | |||||||||||||||
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| Statistics (2019) | |||||||||||||||
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Mecosta Morton Airport (FAA LID: 27C) is a publicly owned, public use airport located 2 miles west of Mecosta in Mecosta County, Michigan. The airport sits on 12 acres at an elevation of 1022 feet.[1][2][3]
In 2016, city leaders debated closing the airport. It had fallen into disuse, and losing the airport manager, the city began discussing the airport's viability. The airport received support from a restaurant located across the street, who agreed to maintain and mow the airport.[4][5]
Facilities and aircraft
[edit]The airport has two runways, both made of turf. Runway 9/27 measures 2027 x 100 ft (618 x 30 m), and runway 3/21 measures 2010 x 100 ft (613 x 30 m). Based on the 12-month period ending December 31, 2019, the airport averages 100 aircraft operations per year. It is all general aviation. For the same time period, there are no aircraft based at the airport.[1][2][3]
The airport does not have any fixed-base operators, and no fuel is available.[3][6]
Accidents and incidents
[edit]- On July 13, 2002, a Cessna 150 nosed over during an aborted takeoff from the Mecosta Morton Airport. The pilot elected to use a short field takeoff procedure, so he applied brakes on the runway and advanced the power prior to releasing the brakes. During the takeoff, the airplane contacted a bump in the terrain and became airborne. The aircraft did not have sufficient flying speed, so the pilot lowered the nose in an attempt to increase the airspeed. The pilot wasn't sure he would clear the trees at the end of the airport, so he decided to abort the takeoff on the remaining 1,000 feet on the runway by retarding the throttle to idle. During the aborted takeoff, the aircraft bounced once; after settling firmly onto the ground, the pilot applied heavy braking, at which time the nose gear dug into the sandy terrain and the airplane nosed over. The probable cause of the accident was the aircraft's encounter with unsuitable terrain and the pilot's excessive braking during the aborted takeoff.[7]
- On September 15, 2012, a Cessna 182P Skylane suffered substantial damage while landing at the airport. The pilot reported that the aircraft bounced upon touchdown; he initially believed the aircraft would settle and land without further incident, but instead the aircraft landed hard and bounced a second time. The aircraft's nose wheel subsequently impacted the runway, causing the nose landing gear to collapse. The 182 slid on its fuselage before nosing over onto its back.[8][9]
- An aircraft crashed near the airport on October 18, 2021.[10][11]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "AirNav: 27C - Mecosta Morton Airport". www.airnav.com. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
- ^ a b "27C - Mecosta Morton Airport | SkyVector". skyvector.com. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
- ^ a b c "(27C) Mecosta Morton Airport". Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
- ^ "Council Members Consider Closing Mecosta Morton Airport". 9&10 News. July 14, 2016. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
- ^ Gunther-Haas, Meghan (2016-07-13). "Mecosta Morton Airport report heats up board meeting". Big Rapids Pioneer. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
- ^ "Mecosta Morton Airport Overview and FBOs (Mecosta, MI) [27C]". FlightAware. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
- ^ "Cessna 150H crash in Michigan (N6912S) | PlaneCrashMap.com". planecrashmap.com. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
- ^ "Cessna 182P, N58844: Accident occurred September 15, 2012 in Mecosta, Michigan". Kathryn's Report. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
- ^ Fenton, Heidi (2012-09-15). "Greenville man and woman suffer minor injuries after plane flips, crashes". mlive. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
- ^ "Accident Airplane , 18 Oct 2021". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
- ^ Agar, John (2021-10-19). "Man dies in Mecosta County plane crash". mlive. Retrieved 2023-05-09.