Gambell Airport facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gambell Airport
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Owner | State of Alaska DOT&PF - Northern Region | ||||||||||
| Serves | Gambell, Alaska | ||||||||||
| Built | 1943 | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 27 ft / 8 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 63°46′00″N 171°43′58″W / 63.76667°N 171.73278°W | ||||||||||
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Location in Alaska
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Source: Federal Aviation Administration
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Gambell Airport is a public airport located in Gambell, Alaska. Gambell is a city in the Nome Census Area of Alaska. The state of Alaska owns this airport.
Contents
Airport Facilities
Gambell Airport covers about 200 acres (81 hectares). It has one runway for planes to land and take off. This runway is called 16/34. It is made of asphalt and concrete. The runway is about 1,372 meters (4,500 feet) long and 29 meters (96 feet) wide.
Airlines and Destinations
Gambell Airport connects the community to other places in Alaska.
| Airlines | Destinations |
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| Bering Air | Nome, Savoonga |
Bering Air flies to and from Gambell. It connects Gambell to Nome and Savoonga. Another airline, Ravn Alaska, also used to fly to Gambell.
Airport History
World War II Use
Gambell Airport has an interesting history. It was built in 1943. During World War II, it was known as Gambell Army Airfield. It helped transport planes to the Soviet Union. This was part of a program called Lend-Lease. The airport also served as an emergency landing spot. Planes from the US Air Force used it while patrolling the west coast of Alaska.
The Soviet Plane Incident (1974)
On February 27, 1974, a Soviet plane landed at Gambell. It was an An-24 plane. It had a crew of three and ten scientists. They were on an ice-reconnaissance mission. The plane ran out of fuel during bad weather. The villagers of Gambell, mostly Yupik Native Americans, helped the crew. They gave them food and warmth. A U.S. Air Force C-130 plane flew in from Anchorage. It brought fuel to help the An-24. The Soviet plane refueled and left later that day. It dipped its wings as a thank you before flying back to Soviet airspace. This event was a friendly moment during the Cold War.
Wien Air Alaska Flight 99 Crash (1975)
A sad event happened on August 30, 1975. Wien Air Alaska Flight 99 was a Fairchild F-27B plane. It was trying to land at Gambell Airport. The weather was very bad, with low clouds and sea fog. The plane crashed into Sevuokuk Mountain. Ten people died in the crash. This included the pilot and co-pilot.
