Yeager Airport

Yeager Airport
Aerial view of Yeager Airport, 2009
IATA: CRW – ICAO: KCRW – FAA LID: CRW
Summary
Airport type		Public
Serves		Charleston, West Virginia
Location		Kanawha County, West Virginia
Elevation AMSL		981 ft / 299 m
Coordinates		38°22′33″N 081°35′35″W / 38.37583°N 81.59306°W / 38.37583; -81.59306Coordinates: 38°22′33″N 081°35′35″W / 38.37583°N 81.59306°W / 38.37583; -81.59306
Website		YeagerAirport.com
Map
CRW Location of airport in West Virginia
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	ft	m
5/23	6,802	2,073	Asphalt
15/33 (closed)	4,750	1,448	Asphalt
Statistics (2010)
Aircraft operations			102,223
Based aircraft			104
Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1]

Yeager Airport (IATA: CRW, ICAO: KCRW, FAA LID: CRW) is a public-use airport located three nautical miles (4 mi, 6 km) east of the central business district of Charleston, a city in Kanawha County, West Virginia, United States. It is owned by the Central West Virginia Regional Airport Authority.^[1] The airport is co-located with Charleston Air National Guard Base, home to nine C-130 Hercules aircraft of the Air National Guard's 130th Airlift Wing (130 AW), an Air Mobility Command (AMC)-gained unit of the West Virginia Air National Guard.^{[citation needed]}

The airport sits on a hilltop over 300 feet (about 100 m) above the valleys of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers, and the hill drops off sharply on all sides. Due to the airfield's unusual location, passengers flying into Yeager enjoy a scenic approach of either downtown Charleston, or the rolling hills to the north and east of the field.^{[citation needed]}

As per Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport had 264,818 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2010, an increase of 11.2% from the 238,190 enplanements in 2009.^[2] This airport is included in the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which categorized it as a primary commercial service airport (more than 10,000 enplanements per year).^[3]

History

During World War II, Charleston's airport at that time, Wertz Field, closed when the airport's approaches were blocked once the federal government built a synthetic rubber plant next to the airport; this left the city without an airport. However, there were plans before the war to build a new Charleston airport, as Wertz Field was already becoming commercially obsolete.^{[citation needed]}

The city started construction of its new airport in 1944; the facility opened in 1947 as Kanawha Airport. The airport received its current name in 1985, honoring then-Brigadier General Chuck Yeager, a native of nearby Lincoln County who piloted the world's first supersonic flight in the Bell X-1.^{[citation needed]}

On February 27, 2008, Yeager's Governing Board voted to close the secondary runway, Rwy 15/33, to allow for the construction of two new hangars and additional ramp space for four additional C-130s to be based at the Air National Guard facility.^[4] It will allow the airport to triple the general aviation area's hangar space and create room for off-runway businesses, and provide parking for up to ten additional commercial airliners. 5 million dollars were given to the airport to build a canopy around the front of the terminal. Also, and additional 2 million have been given to create a covered walk-way from the main terminal to the airports parking garage.^{[citation needed]}

Facilities and aircraft

Yeager Airport covers an area of 767 acres (310 ha) at an elevation of 981 feet (299 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 5/23 with an asphalt surface measuring 6,802 by 150 feet (2,073 x 46 m).^[1]

Runway 5/23 currently sits on a heading of 235°. An Engineered Materials Arresting System (EMAS) was recently built at the end of Runway 5 to prevent aircraft from being able to go over the hillside, in the unlikely event that one wouldn't be able to stop. Yeager's secondary runway, Runway 15/33, is now closed. Its heading was 335° and was 4,750 feet (1,450 m) in length. The runway is now a taxiway. Runway 15/33 was mostly used by general aviation aircraft due to its length, but is now closed and now taxiway "Charlie" due to a new ANG hangar.^{[citation needed]}

For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2010, the airport had 102,223 aircraft operations, an average of 280 per day: 47% scheduled commercial, 26% air taxi, 24% general aviation, 3% military. At that time there were 104 aircraft based at this airport: 52% single-engine, 31% multi-engine, 3% jet, 5% helicopter, and 10% military.^[1]

Airlines and destinations

Airlines	Destinations	Concourse
AirTran Airways	Orlando [ends June 3, 2012]	B
American Eagle	New York-LaGuardia	C
Continental Express operated by ExpressJet Airlines	Houston-Intercontinental, Washington-Dulles	A
Delta Connection operated by Atlantic Southeast Airlines	Atlanta	A
Delta Connection operated by Pinnacle Airlines	Detroit	A
Spirit Airlines	Fort Lauderdale Seasonal: Myrtle Beach	B
United Express operated by Colgan Air	Seasonal: Washington-Dulles	B
United Express operated by ExpressJet Airlines	Chicago-O'Hare	B
US Airways Express operated by Air Wisconsin	Charlotte	C
US Airways Express operated by Colgan Air	Washington-National	C
US Airways Express operated by Piedmont Airlines	Charlotte	C
US Airways Express operated by PSA Airlines	Charlotte	C

Accidents and incidents

On January 10, 2009 Colgan Air flight 6880 on behalf of United Airlines reported a hydraulics leak. The pilot was able to pump down the left wing gear. 13 passengers, and 3 crew were on the aircraft, no one was hurt. The aircraft landed safely on runway 23.^{[citation needed]}

On July 13, 2009, Southwest Airlines Flight 2294 from Nashville International Airport to Baltimore-Washington International Airport was forced to divert to Yeager Airport in Charleston, West Virginia after a hole formed on the top of the plane's fuselage near the tail resulting in depressurization of the cabin and deployment of the oxygen masks. All 133 passengers and crew landed safely and a spare plane was flown in to take the passengers to Baltimore.^[5]

On January 19, 2010, PSA Airlines Canadair CRJ-200 N246PS performing flight JIA-2495/US-2495 to Charlotte, North Carolina on behalf of US Airways with 30 passengers and 3 crew, overran the runway following a rejected take-off at 16:13 local time (21:13 UTC). The aircraft was stopped by the EMAS at the end of the runway, sustaining substantial damage to its undercarriage.^[6]

On February 8, 2010, a Freedom Airlines Embraer ERJ-145 performing flight F8-6121/DL-6121 to Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport on behalf of Delta Air Lines with 46 passengers and 3 crew, rejected takeoff from Charleston at high speed and came to a safe stop about 400 feet (122 meters) short of the runway end. Both right main gear tires exploded, and the fragments substantially damaged the flaps.^[7]

On July 28, 2010, a United Airlines Boeing 757 from Washington Dulles International Airport to San Diego Airport was forced to divert to Yeager Airport in Charleston, West Virginia after smoke was detected in a restroom. None of the 178 passengers and crew members aboard the flight was injured in the incident.^[8]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} FAA Airport Master Record for CRW (Form 5010 PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. Effective 25 August 2011.
2. ^ "Primary, Non-primary Commercial Service, and General Aviation Airports (by State) (PDF, 5.4 MB)". CY 2010 Passenger Boarding and All-Cargo Data. Federal Aviation Administration. 4 October 2011. http://www.faa.gov/airports/planning_capacity/passenger_allcargo_stats/passenger/media/cy10_all_enplanements.pdf. 
3. ^ "2011–2015 NPIAS Report, Appendix A (PDF, 2.03 MB)". 2011–2015 National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems. Federal Aviation Administration. 4 October 2010. http://www.faa.gov/airports/planning_capacity/npias/reports/media/2011/npias_2011_appA.pdf. 
4. ^ "Yeager runway to close to make room for hangars". Charleston Daily Mail. 28 February 2008. http://dailymail.com/News/Kanawha/200802280208. Retrieved 2008-02-29. 
5. ^ "Jet makes landing with football-sized hole". CNN. 14 July 2009. http://edition.cnn.com/2009/US/07/13/us.jetliner.damaged/index.html. Retrieved 23 January 2010. 
6. ^ "Accident: PSA Airlines CRJ2 at Charleston on Jan 19th 2010, overran runway on takeoff". The Aviation Herald. http://avherald.com/h?article=42607d9d&opt=4096. Retrieved 20 January 2010. 
7. ^ "Accident: Freedom Airlines E145 at Charleston on Feb 8th 2010, rejected takeoff". The Aviation Herald. http://avherald.com/h?article=4270072e&opt=4096. Retrieved 9 February 2010. 
8. ^ "Accident: Smoke forces Calif.-bound 757 to land at Yeager". The Charleston Gazette. http://wvgazette.com/News/201007270253. Retrieved 28 July 2010. 

External links

• Yeager Airport, official web site
• Charleston/Yeager Airport from 2007 West Virginia DOT Airport Directory
• Aerial image as of 11 April 1996 from USGS The National Map
• FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective 20 October 2011
• FAA Terminal Procedures for CRW, effective 20 October 2011
• Resources for this airport:
  • AirNav airport information for KCRW
  • ASN accident history for CRW
  • FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
  • NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart for KCRW
  • FAA current CRW delay information