Pagan Airstrip | |||||||||||
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Summary | |||||||||||
Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
Owner | Commonwealth Ports Authority | ||||||||||
Location | Pagan Island | ||||||||||
Built | 1939–1944 1966–1970 (rebuilt) | ||||||||||
Elevation AMSL | 34 ft / 10 m | ||||||||||
Coordinates | 18°07′23″N 145°45′47″E / 18.12306°N 145.76306°E | ||||||||||
Maps | |||||||||||
FAA diagram of the airfield's layout | |||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||
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Statistics (1980) | |||||||||||
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Source:
Federal Aviation Administration
[1] |
Pagan Airstrip ( FAA LID: TT01) is a closed airfield located on Pagan Island in the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, near the village of Shomu-Shon. The airport is owned by the Commonwealth Ports Authority. [1]
The airfield was originally built as a Japanese fighter airstrip and was called Shomushan Field. [2] Construction took place between 1939 and 1944, with 200 workers from Japan and Korea building the 1,000 feet (300 m) runway and other defenses on the island. [3]
On June 22, 1944, the airfield was attacked by U.S. carrier aircraft, with the attack destroying four Japanese aircraft on the ground, as well as damaging buildings and runways. [4] It was subject to further bombing on September 26–27, 1944, with P-47 Thunderbolts and B-24 Liberators of the Seventh Air Force conducting attacks. [5] The airfield was once attacked again on November 25–26, 1944, with U.S. Army Air Forces P-47 Thunderbolts and U.S. Navy F4U Corsairs bombed and strafed the island, in addition to downing two Japanese aircraft. [6] In total, U.S. Army P-47 Thunderbolts and P-61 Black Widows flew 1,578 missions against the airfield between August 1944 and May 1945, with the Japanese continuously repairing the runway. [3]
Japanese forces on Pagan surrendered in September 1945. [7]
Initial efforts to put the airfield back into service began in autumn of 1966, with US$7,000 in funding from the Mariana Islands District Legislature leading to a usable runway. In February 1967, Emmet Kay, president of Micronesia Airlines, was the first pilot to land at the airfield since World War II. A formal dedication was held on April 3, 1967. [8]
From May to October 1970, the airfield was further rebuilt by thirteen members of a U.S. Air Force Civic Action Team. [2]
During a 12-month period ending September 26, 1980, the airport had 240 aircraft operations: 79% air taxi and 21% general aviation. [1]
On May 15, 1981, Mount Pagan erupted, [9] with lava flows covering about one-third of the airfield. [10] Attempts by a civilian aircraft and a U.S. Navy P-3 Orion to land at the airstrip on the day of the eruption were unsuccessful, in part due to the volcano's ash cloud obscuring the airfield. [9]
As of 2023 [update], the airfield is listed as "closed indefinitely" in the Federal Aviation Administration's Airport/Facility Directory. [11] It has not been inspected by the FAA since September 1980. [1] A major issue with habitation and operations on the island has been the activity of the volcano, which has erupted periodically since the 1980s, the latest being in 2021. [12]
Pagan Airstrip | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Summary | |||||||||||
Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
Owner | Commonwealth Ports Authority | ||||||||||
Location | Pagan Island | ||||||||||
Built | 1939–1944 1966–1970 (rebuilt) | ||||||||||
Elevation AMSL | 34 ft / 10 m | ||||||||||
Coordinates | 18°07′23″N 145°45′47″E / 18.12306°N 145.76306°E | ||||||||||
Maps | |||||||||||
FAA diagram of the airfield's layout | |||||||||||
Runways | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Statistics (1980) | |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Source:
Federal Aviation Administration
[1] |
Pagan Airstrip ( FAA LID: TT01) is a closed airfield located on Pagan Island in the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, near the village of Shomu-Shon. The airport is owned by the Commonwealth Ports Authority. [1]
The airfield was originally built as a Japanese fighter airstrip and was called Shomushan Field. [2] Construction took place between 1939 and 1944, with 200 workers from Japan and Korea building the 1,000 feet (300 m) runway and other defenses on the island. [3]
On June 22, 1944, the airfield was attacked by U.S. carrier aircraft, with the attack destroying four Japanese aircraft on the ground, as well as damaging buildings and runways. [4] It was subject to further bombing on September 26–27, 1944, with P-47 Thunderbolts and B-24 Liberators of the Seventh Air Force conducting attacks. [5] The airfield was once attacked again on November 25–26, 1944, with U.S. Army Air Forces P-47 Thunderbolts and U.S. Navy F4U Corsairs bombed and strafed the island, in addition to downing two Japanese aircraft. [6] In total, U.S. Army P-47 Thunderbolts and P-61 Black Widows flew 1,578 missions against the airfield between August 1944 and May 1945, with the Japanese continuously repairing the runway. [3]
Japanese forces on Pagan surrendered in September 1945. [7]
Initial efforts to put the airfield back into service began in autumn of 1966, with US$7,000 in funding from the Mariana Islands District Legislature leading to a usable runway. In February 1967, Emmet Kay, president of Micronesia Airlines, was the first pilot to land at the airfield since World War II. A formal dedication was held on April 3, 1967. [8]
From May to October 1970, the airfield was further rebuilt by thirteen members of a U.S. Air Force Civic Action Team. [2]
During a 12-month period ending September 26, 1980, the airport had 240 aircraft operations: 79% air taxi and 21% general aviation. [1]
On May 15, 1981, Mount Pagan erupted, [9] with lava flows covering about one-third of the airfield. [10] Attempts by a civilian aircraft and a U.S. Navy P-3 Orion to land at the airstrip on the day of the eruption were unsuccessful, in part due to the volcano's ash cloud obscuring the airfield. [9]
As of 2023 [update], the airfield is listed as "closed indefinitely" in the Federal Aviation Administration's Airport/Facility Directory. [11] It has not been inspected by the FAA since September 1980. [1] A major issue with habitation and operations on the island has been the activity of the volcano, which has erupted periodically since the 1980s, the latest being in 2021. [12]