The airport is home to a chapter of the Civil Air Patrol, which, besides its duties to the U.S. Air Force, hosts community events for locals interested in aviation.[3]
Facilities and aircraft
Lenawee County Airport covers an area of 248 acres (1.00 km2) which contains two runways: 05/23 has an asphalt pavement measuring 5,001 x 100 ft. (1,524 x 30 m) and 11/29 has a turf surface measuring 1,810 x 150 ft. (552 x 46 m).[1]
The airport received a federal grant in 2021 to rebuild its main runways and taxiways, especially repaving it and widening the turns to allow larger aircraft to use the airport. The runways haven't been redone since 2005. The taxiway's repaving began in the summer of 2021 and was finished mid-fall, while the runway expected to receive work in the spring of 2022.[4][5]
For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2021, the airport had 18,000 aircraft operations per year, an average of 49 per day, composed entirely of general aviation. For the same time period, there were 57 aircraft based at the airport: 42 single-engine and 2 multi-engine airplanes, 11 gliders, 1 jet, and 1 helicopter.[1][7]
On December 10, 1985, an Aerospatiale SA365N crashed near the airport.[9]
On November 2, 1996, a Frost RAF 2000 GTX SE impacted terrain following contact between the main rotor system, the pusher propeller and other portions of the airframe two miles southeast of the airport. The probable cause of the accident was found to be the student pilot's failure to maintain control of the aircraft; contributing was his lack of familiarity with the aircraft.[10]
On April 26, 2009, a LET L-23 Super Blanik glider crashed during a training flight at Lenawee County Airport. The instructor aboard was attempting to demonstrate a slip to the student when the aircraft encountered a strong, gusting crosswind, making control difficult. The aircraft landed in grass north of the runway. The probable cause of the accident was the flight instructor's inadequate compensation for the strong, gusting crosswind during landing. Contributing was the flight instructor's attempted flight with known adverse weather near the airport.[11]
On October 23, 2009, a Rockwell Commander impacted terrain following a loss of control near the Lenawee County Airport. The pilot failed to maintain control of the aircraft due to spatial disorientation while on an instrument approach while in instrument meteorological conditions. The aircraft was consumed by a post-impact fire, and both aboard received fatal injuries.
On December 6, 2012, an Lsa America Inc Allegro impacted terrain while attempting a go-around at the Lenawee County Airport. While performing touch-and-go landings, the student onboard failed to maintain alignment with the runway centerline, and the instructor directed a go-around 30 feet above the runway. The student used excessive left rudder input during the subsequent go-around maneuver, and the instructor was unable to retain full control of the aircraft. The probable cause of the accident was found to be the student pilot's improper flight control input during a go-around and his interference with the flight instructor's attempted remedial actions.[12]
On August 11, 2017, a Navion Navion G crashed near the airport. The accident went undetected for two hours until a survivor found a road and got help. Engine trouble is suspected as the cause of the crash. It was found there was a leak in the gascolator, which allowed air to enter the fuel system and resulted in a partial loss of engine power.[13][14][15]
On January 13, 2019, a Piper PA-32 Cherokee Six struck an airport fence at Lenawee County Airport after an engine failure on approach to the airport. The aircraft was just out of maintenance inspections.[16][17]
