Tri-State Airport
Encyclopedia
Tri-State Airport , also known as Milton J. Ferguson Field, is a public-use airport
in Wayne County
, West Virginia
, United States
. The airport is located three nautical mile
s (4 mi
, 6 km
) south of the central business district
of Huntington, West Virginia
, near the cities of Ceredo
and Kenova
. Owned by the Tri-State Airport Authority, it serves the cities of Huntington, Ashland, Kentucky
, and Ironton, Ohio
. It has heavy use for general aviation
, but is also served by three commercial airlines.
As per Federal Aviation Administration
records, the airport had 115,263 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year
2010, an increase of 10.9% from the 103,972 enplanements in 2009. 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).
s (526 ha
) at an elevation
of 828 feet (252 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway
designated 12/30 with an asphalt
surface measuring 7,016 by 150 feet (2,138 x 46 m).
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2010, the airport had 13,306 aircraft operations, an average of 36 per day: 68% general aviation
, 24% air taxi
, 4% scheduled commercial
, and 4% military
. At that time there were 45 aircraft based at this airport: 69% single-engine
, 18% multi-engine, 11% jet
, and 2% helicopter
.
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
in Wayne County
Wayne County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 42,903 people, 17,239 households, and 12,653 families residing in the county. The population density was 85 people per square mile . There were 19,107 housing units at an average density of 38 per square mile...
, West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The airport is located three nautical mile
Nautical mile
The nautical mile is a unit of length that is about one minute of arc of latitude along any meridian, but is approximately one minute of arc of longitude only at the equator...
s (4 mi
Mile
A mile is a unit of length, most commonly 5,280 feet . The mile of 5,280 feet is sometimes called the statute mile or land mile to distinguish it from the nautical mile...
, 6 km
Kilometre
The kilometre is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to one thousand metres and is therefore exactly equal to the distance travelled by light in free space in of a second...
) south of the central business district
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
of Huntington, West Virginia
Huntington, West Virginia
Huntington is a city in Cabell and Wayne counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia, along the Ohio River. Most of the city is in Cabell County, for which it is the county seat. A small portion of the city, mainly the neighborhood of Westmoreland, is in Wayne County. Its population was 49,138 at...
, near the cities of Ceredo
Ceredo, West Virginia
Ceredo is a city in Wayne County, West Virginia, along the Ohio River. The population was 1,675 at the 2000 census. Ceredo is a part of the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, Metropolitan Statistical Area . As of the 2000 census, the MSA had a population of 288,649.The city is also near the location of...
and Kenova
Kenova, West Virginia
Kenova is a city in Wayne County, West Virginia, at the confluence of the Ohio and Big Sandy Rivers. The name of the town comes from its unique position where the borders of Kentucky, Ohio, and Virginia meet. Founded in 1859 but not incorporated until 1894, the town's early history and...
. Owned by the Tri-State Airport Authority, it serves the cities of Huntington, Ashland, Kentucky
Ashland, Kentucky
Ashland, formerly known as Poage Settlement, is a city in Boyd County, Kentucky, United States, nestled along the banks of the Ohio River. The population was 21,981 at the 2000 census. Ashland is a part of the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, Metropolitan Statistical Area . As of the 2000 census, the...
, and Ironton, Ohio
Ironton, Ohio
Ironton is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Lawrence County. The municipality is located in southern Ohio along the Ohio River. The population was 11,211 at the 2000 census. Ironton is a part of the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, Metropolitan Statistical Area . As of the...
. It has heavy use for general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
, but is also served by three commercial airlines.
As per Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
records, the airport had 115,263 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year
Calendar year
Generally speaking, a calendar year begins on the New Year's Day of the given calendar system and ends on the day before the following New Year's Day. By convention, a calendar year consists of a natural number of days. To reconcile the calendar year with an astronomical cycle , certain years...
2010, an increase of 10.9% from the 103,972 enplanements in 2009. This airport is included in the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems
National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems
The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems is an inventory of U.S. aviation infrastructure assets. It is developed and maintained by the Federal Aviation Administration . Its purposes are:* to identify all the airports in the U.S...
for 2011–2015, which categorized
FAA airport categories
The United States Federal Aviation Administration has a system for categorizing public-use airports that is primarily based on the level of commercial passenger traffic through each facility. It is used to determine if an airport is eligible for funding through the federal government's Airport...
it as a primary commercial service airport (more than 10,000 enplanements per year).
Facilities and aircraft
The airport covers an area of 1,300 acreAcre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s (526 ha
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
) at an elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
of 828 feet (252 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
designated 12/30 with an asphalt
Asphalt
Asphalt or , also known as bitumen, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits, it is a substance classed as a pitch...
surface measuring 7,016 by 150 feet (2,138 x 46 m).
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2010, the airport had 13,306 aircraft operations, an average of 36 per day: 68% general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
, 24% air taxi
Air taxi
An air taxi is an air charter passenger or cargo aircraft which operates on an on-demand basis.-Regulation:In the United States, air taxi and air charter operations are governed by Part 135 of the Federal Aviation Regulations , unlike the larger scheduled air carriers which are governed by more...
, 4% scheduled commercial
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
, and 4% military
Military aviation
Military aviation is the use of aircraft and other flying machines for the purposes of conducting or enabling warfare, including national airlift capacity to provide logistical supply to forces stationed in a theater or along a front. Air power includes the national means of conducting such...
. At that time there were 45 aircraft based at this airport: 69% single-engine
Aircraft engine
An aircraft engine is the component of the propulsion system for an aircraft that generates mechanical power. Aircraft engines are almost always either lightweight piston engines or gas turbines...
, 18% multi-engine, 11% jet
Jet aircraft
A jet aircraft is an aircraft propelled by jet engines. Jet aircraft generally fly much faster than propeller-powered aircraft and at higher altitudes – as high as . At these altitudes, jet engines achieve maximum efficiency over long distances. The engines in propeller-powered aircraft...
, and 2% helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
.
Airlines and destinations
Top destinations
| Rank | City | Airport | Passengers | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charlotte, NC | CLT Charlotte/Douglas International Airport Charlotte Douglas International Airport is a joint civil-military public international airport located in Charlotte, North Carolina. Established in 1935 as Charlotte Municipal Airport, in 1954 the airport was renamed Douglas Municipal Airport after former Charlotte mayor Ben Elbert Douglas, Sr... |
32,000 | US Airways (non-stop) Delta (via DTW) |
| 2 | St. Petersburg, FL / Clearwater, FL | PIE St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport is a joint civil-military airport located in unincorporated Pinellas County, Florida, north of St. Petersburg, serving St... |
18,000 | Allegiant (non-stop) |
| 3 | Fort Lauderdale, FL | FLL Fort Lauderdale – Hollywood International Airport Fort Lauderdale – Hollywood International Airport is an international commercial airport located in unincorporated Broward County, Florida, three miles southwest of the central business district of Fort Lauderdale... |
14,000 | Allegiant (non-stop) Delta (via DTW) US Airways (via CLT) |
| 4 | Orlando, FL | MCO Orlando International Airport Orlando International Airport is a major international airport located southeast of the central business district of Orlando. It is the second busiest airport in Florida, after Miami International Airport... |
13,000 | Delta (via DTW) US Airways (via CLT) |
| 5 | Cincinnati, OH / Covington, KY | CVG Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport , sometimes called the Greater Cincinnati Airport is located in Hebron, unincorporated Boone County, Kentucky, United States and serves the Greater Cincinnati metropolitan area. Despite being located in Boone County, the airport operations are... |
10,000 | Delta (via DTW) US Airways (via CLT) |
| 6 | Orlando, FL / Sanford, FL | SFB Orlando Sanford International Airport Orlando-Sanford International Airport is a public commercial air service airport in Sanford, Florida, near Orlando. It was originally constructed as a military installation known as Naval Air Station Sanford that was in operation as a Master Jet Base for carrier-based attack and reconnaissance... |
10,000 | Allegiant (non-stop) Delta (via DTW) US Airways (via CLT) |
| 7 | Myrtle Beach, SC | MYR Myrtle Beach International Airport Myrtle Beach International Airport is a county-owned public-use airport located three nautical miles southwest of the central business district of Myrtle Beach, in Horry County, South Carolina, United States... |
8,000 | Allegiant (non-stop) Delta (via DTW) US Airways (via CLT) |
| 8 | Detroit, MI | DTW Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport , usually called Detroit Metro Airport, Metro Airport locally, or simply DTW, is a major international airport covering in Romulus, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. It is Michigan's busiest airport.... |
6,000 | Delta (non-stop) US Airways (via CLT) |
Incidents
- On November 14, 1970, Southern Airways Flight 932, a chartered Southern AirwaysSouthern AirwaysSouthern Airways was a regional airline operating in the United States from its founding by Frank Hulse in 1949 until 1979 when it merged with North Central Airlines to become Republic Airlines, which on October 1, 1986, became part of Northwest Airlines, which in 2008 became a part of Delta Air...
DC-9 commercial jet, crashed into a hill just short of Runway 12. The flight was carrying the thirty-seven members of the Marshall UniversityMarshall UniversityMarshall University is a coeducational public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United States founded in 1837, and named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States....
"Thundering Herd" football squad, eight members of the coaching staff, and twenty-five boosters. There were no survivors.
- On the morning of August 5, 1987 a Piedmont AirlinesPiedmont AirlinesPiedmont Airlines is an American regional airline operating for US Airways Express. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the US Airways Group, headquartered in unincorporated Wicomico County, Maryland, near the city of Salisbury, it conducts flight operations using De Havilland Canada Dash 8 aircraft...
Boeing 737-200 on a regularly scheduled flight struck deer after reaching V1 during the takeoff roll. One engine sustained damage and subsequently flamed out, and the aircraft immediately returned to the airport.
- On June 16, 1994, a Fokker F28-4000 operated by USAir suffered a hard landing after which the right main landing gear collapsed. The jet slid to a stop causing significant damage to the aircraft and the runway. There were minor injuries during the landing and evacuation. The aircraft was repaired after several weeks at Tri-State and re-entered service later that year.
- On January 8, 2003, Air Midwest Flight 5481Air Midwest Flight 5481Air Midwest Flight 5481 operating as US Airways Express Flight 5481, was a flight from Charlotte/Douglas International Airport in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States to Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport near the cities of Greenville, South Carolina and Spartanburg, South Carolina;...
operating as US AirwaysUS AirwaysUS Airways, Inc. is a major airline based in the U.S. city of Tempe, Arizona. The airline is an operating unit of US Airways Group and is the sixth largest airline by traffic and eighth largest by market value in the country....
Express Flight 5481 (N233YV), crashed at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport, killing all 21 aboard. It was determined that the accident was caused primarily by the faulty adjustment of an elevator cable - work that was performed just 2 days earlier at a facility at Tri-State Airport - by a mechanic that had never worked on that type of aircraft.
- On August 17, 2006, Rima Qayyum, a woman of PakistanPakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i origin residing within the US, was prevented from boarding a plane when it was found she had banned materials in her hand luggage. While these initially tested positive for explosive residue, subsequent analysis revealed that the liquids were harmless. Later testing revealed that it was just water and soap The woman had purchased a one-way ticket on a flight to Charlotte, North CarolinaCharlotte, North CarolinaCharlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
. In 2008, Qayyum filed a federal law suit against US AirwaysUS AirwaysUS Airways, Inc. is a major airline based in the U.S. city of Tempe, Arizona. The airline is an operating unit of US Airways Group and is the sixth largest airline by traffic and eighth largest by market value in the country....
for violating her civil rights.
- On January 30, 2009, a Piper PA-34-200T Seneca crashed in the vicinity of KHTS during a significant snow event. The pilot was attempting to divert to KHTS due to a fuel emergency. All six aboard were killed.
External links
- Tri-State Airport, official web site
- Huntington/Tri-State Airport from 2008 West Virginia DOT Airport Directory
- Aerial image as of 14 March 1995 from USGS The National Map