| 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 / 63.76667; -171.73278 | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  GAMLocation of airport in Alaska | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Source: Federal Aviation Administration | |||||||||||
Gambell Airport (IATA: GAM, ICAO: PAGM, FAA LID: GAM) is a public airport located in Gambell, a city in the Nome Census Area of the U.S. state of Alaska. The airport is owned by the state.
Facilities
Gambell Airport covers an area of 200 acres (81 ha) which contains one asphalt and concrete paved runway (16/34) measuring 4,500 x 96 ft (1,372 x 29 m).
Airlines and destinations
 | This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (January 2022) |
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Bering Air | Nome, Savoonga |
Prior to its bankruptcy and cessation of all operations, Ravn Alaska served the airport from multiple locations.
| Airlines | Adresses |
|---|---|
| Bering Air | Nom, Savunga |
| Border Flight Service | Kitab |
| Hageland Aviation Services | Nom, Savunga |
History
Gambell Airport was used as a transport base during World War II as Gambell Army Airfield, facilitating the transit of Lend-Lease aircraft to the Soviet Union. It was also used by the USAAF as an emergency landing field for aircraft patrolling the west coast of Alaska.
On 27 February 1974, a Soviet Union An-24LR carrying a crew of three and ten scientists on an ice-reconnaissance mission landed at Gambell due to fuel exhaustion in bad weather, causing a minor Cold War incident. Villagers, mostly Yupik Native Americans, provided space heaters and food. A U.S. Air Force C-130 flew in a load of fuel bladders with JP-1 fuel from Anchorage to refuel the An-24, which departed at 7:30 pm. She dipped her wings in salute in a pass over the airfield, then returned to Soviet airspace.
On 30 August 1975, Wien Air Alaska Flight 99, a Fairchild F-27B on approach to landing, crashed into Sevuokuk Mountain after multiple missed approaches, killing the pilot and co-pilot and eight others out of the 32 crew and passengers on board. The weather was a low ceiling with sea fog, and below approach minimums.
See also
References
- ^ FAA Airport Form 5010 for GAM PDF, effective 2007-07-05
- Bering Air: Nome Flight Schedule Archived September 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine (PDF). Retrieved 29-August-2007.
- CAF Digest: February 26 - March 4, Commemorative Air Force.
- NTSB Report on the Crash
External links
- FAA Alaska airport diagram (GIF)
- Resources for this airport:
- FAA airport information for GAM
- AirNav airport information for PAGM
- ASN accident history for GAM
- FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
- NOAA/NWS latest weather observations for PAGM
- SkyVector aeronautical chart for GAM
