Smyrna Airport (Tennessee) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Smyrna Airport
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USGS aerial image, February 1999
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| Summary | |||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||
| Owner | Smyrna / Rutherford County Airport Authority | ||||||||||||||
| Serves | Smyrna, Tennessee | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 543 ft / 166 m | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 36°00′32″N 086°31′12″W / 36.00889°N 86.52000°W | ||||||||||||||
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Location in Tennessee
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Location in the United States
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| Statistics (2023) | |||||||||||||||
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Source: Federal Aviation Administration
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Smyrna Airport is a public airport in Smyrna, Tennessee. It's located about 2 nautical miles (4 kilometers) north of the town center. The airport is owned by the Smyrna / Rutherford County Airport Authority.
Smyrna Airport is the third largest airport in Tennessee. It is also the busiest airport in the state for general aviation. General aviation includes all flights that are not scheduled airline services. Before March 1971, this place was a military base called Sewart Air Force Base.
This airport is part of a special plan for airports across the country. It helps reduce air traffic at the much larger Nashville International Airport. Because of this, Smyrna Airport is known as a reliever airport.
Military Connections
Smyrna Airport is shared with the military. It hosts a Tennessee Army National Guard helicopter unit. This unit is called Army Aviation Support Facility #1 (AASF#1). They operate 60 helicopters and have 300 full-time staff.
The airport also used to be a training spot for C-130 Hercules planes. These planes belonged to the 118th Airlift Wing of the Tennessee Air National Guard. They stopped using C-130s here in 2012. However, the airport still helps with training for C-17 Globemaster III aircraft. These larger planes are from the 164th Airlift Wing based in Memphis.
The Tennessee Army National Guard also uses part of the airport. They have the Grubbs/Kyle Training Center here. This center supports many different military units. It has 1,270 assigned Army National Guard members. Many military aircraft also use this facility.
Airport Features
Smyrna Airport covers a large area of about 1,700 acres (688 hectares). It sits 543 feet (166 meters) above sea level. The airport has two main runways. Both are paved with asphalt.
- Runway 14/32 is 8,038 feet long and 150 feet wide (2,450 x 46 meters).
- Runway 1/19 is 5,546 feet long and 100 feet wide (1,690 x 30 meters).
There is also a special landing area for helicopters. It is called H1 and is made of concrete. It measures 40 by 40 feet (12 x 12 meters).
Airport Activity
In the year ending January 31, 2023, the airport had 123,375 aircraft operations. This means about 338 planes took off or landed each day. Most of these flights (88%) were general aviation. About 10% were air taxis, and 2% were military flights.
At that time, 189 aircraft were based at Smyrna Airport. This included 121 single-engine planes and 26 multi-engine planes. There were also 40 jet aircraft and 2 helicopters.
The airport has an air traffic control tower. It is open from 7 AM to 10 PM on weekdays. On weekends, it operates from 7 AM to 7 PM. The airport also has a special system to help planes land safely in bad weather. This is called an instrument landing system (ILS). Military and government planes can also get jet fuel here.
Past Incidents
Airports sometimes have incidents, which are unexpected events. Here are a few that have happened at Smyrna Airport or nearby:
- On January 11, 1955, a USAF Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar crashed after an engine problem. It happened about 5 miles northeast of the airport. Most people on board were able to parachute out safely.
- On November 26, 1962, a USAF Lockheed C-130 Hercules crashed during a training flight. All five people on board died in this accident.
- On June 2, 2016, a United States Navy Blue Angels jet crashed. This happened while the pilot was practicing for an air show at the airport. The pilot, USMC Capt. Jeff Kuss, died in the crash. The incident occurred shortly after takeoff. The Town of Smyrna has built a special memorial for Capt. Kuss near the airport. It includes an F/A-18 Hornet jet, painted just like the Blue Angels plane.
- On May 29, 2021, a Cessna Citation 501 plane crashed into Percy Priest Lake. This happened soon after it took off from the airport. All seven people on board died in the crash.
