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Fort Worth Meacham International Airport

Coordinates: 32°49′11.2″N 97°21′44.8″W / 32.819778°N 97.362444°W / 32.819778; -97.362444
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Fort Worth Meacham International Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OperatorCity of Fort Worth
ServesDallas–Fort Worth metroplex
LocationFort Worth, Texas
Elevation AMSL710 ft / 216 m
Coordinates32°49′11.2″N 97°21′44.8″W / 32.819778°N 97.362444°W / 32.819778; -97.362444
Websitewww.meacham.com
Map
FTW is located in Texas
FTW
FTW
Location of airport in Texas / United States
FTW is located in the United States
FTW
FTW
FTW (the United States)
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
9/27 closed 3,677 1,121 Asphalt
16/34 7,502 2,287 Concrete
17/35 4,005 1,221 Asphalt

Fort Worth Meacham International Airport (Meacham Field) (IATA: FTW, ICAO: KFTW, FAA LID: FTW) is a general aviation airport located near the intersection of Interstate 820 and Business U.S. Highway 287 in Fort Worth, Texas, United States. It is named after former Fort Worth Mayor Henry C. Meacham.[2] The airport covers 745 acres (301 ha).[1]

History

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Postcard of Fort Worth Municipal Airport, undated
Civilian training school students and instructors at Meacham Field in 1942

Meacham Airport was purchased by the city of Fort Worth on July 3, 1925, named Fort Worth Municipal Airport. In 1927 the airport was renamed Meacham Field after former Fort Worth Mayor Henry C. Meacham.[2]

Meacham was Fort Worth's major airport until April 1953 when major carriers moved to Amon Carter Field (later Greater Southwest International Airport). The January 1953 OAG shows 50 weekday airline departures from Meacham, 33 of which headed for Dallas. None of the others flew nonstop north of Wichita Falls, west of Midland, south of Austin or east of Dallas.

Since 1953 Meacham Airport has been used for corporate aircraft, commuter flights, and student pilot training. It was renamed in 1985 to Fort Worth Meacham Airport and in 1995 to Fort Worth Meacham International Airport. Since 1953 seven airlines have tried scheduled passenger flights from Meacham; none lasted more than a couple of years.

In April 2006 low-cost carrier Skybus Airlines expressed interest in operating out of the airfield as it started operations in 2007, but it folded before the repeal of the Wright Amendment in 2014.[3]

On 16 April 2008, the American Airways Hangar and Administration Building, constructed at the airport in 1933, was added to the National Register of Historic Places.[4]

On 15 January 2015, the airport advisory board voted to permanently close runway 9/27 to make room for additional hangars. The runway had been closed for about a year due to deteriorating pavement.[5]

In 2018, city officials and company founder David Neeleman hinted that a proposed low-cost carrier, tentatively named Moxy, now named Breeze Airways may operate from Meacham starting in 2020. Due to COVID-19 Breeze's launch has been delayed. City aviation director at the time Bill Welstead denied holding discussions with Moxy but confirmed that Frontier Airlines and Allegiant Air were interested in serving the airport. Although the city has recently spent millions of dollars on several projects to improve airport facilities for general aviation, Welstead claimed that the city was not actively planning to build adequate terminal parking for passengers, which he said would be necessary before commercial airline service could begin.[6]

Current operations

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Meacham is currently used for general aviation purposes. Several companies operate aircraft services at the airport, including a division of the U.S. defense contractor Alliant Techsystems (ATK) and Texas Aviation Services.[7] An aviation museum (open weekends and by appointment during the week) is located in Hangar 33S on the airport's south side, at the end of Ellis Street. The terminal building houses several ATK employees, some Fort Worth city departments (mainly Aviation and Housing Development), a branch of Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and several aviation-related businesses. The Civil Air Patrol operates two squadrons at Meacham, the Fort Worth Senior Squadron, and the Phoenix Composite Squadron. There are two FBOs operating on the field: Modern Aviation and Texas Jet. In 2020 the FBO Cornerstone Air Center closed its doors. In summer the of 2024 the old American Aero FBO owned by Robert Bass sold to Modern Aviation.

Airlines and destinations

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AirlinesDestinations
Bombardier Business Jet SolutionsCharter: Dallas/Fort Worth, Austin
CitationsharesCharter: Providence, Dallas/Fort Worth
NetjetsCharter: Charlotte
Charter Fleet InternationalCharter: Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Angel Fire, New Mexico, Austin
Clay Lacy AviationCharter: Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Portland, other destinations nationwide

At one time Fort Worth Airlines had its headquarters at the airport.[8]

Accidents and incidents

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  • 9 October 1982: A Cessna 152, registration number N89023, ran off the runway into a ditch and was destroyed after the pilot lost directional control on landing. The pilot and sole occupant suffered minor injuries.[9]
  • 6 March 1984: The right-hand engine of a Piper PA-23-250, registration number N777RG, failed on takeoff after a touch-and-go landing. Although another runway aligned with the takeoff runway was only 3 miles (4.8 km) ahead, the pilots did not attempt to reach it, and instead executed an immediate forced landing in a nearby open field. The aircraft was destroyed but the two pilots, who were the sole occupants, were not injured. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators found the fuel selector in the OFF position for the right-hand engine, causing fuel starvation. The accident was attributed to the improper fuel selector position, poor judgment by the pilots, and failure to understand and follow proper emergency procedures.[10]
  • 25 June 1989: A Cessna 152, registration number N24795, rolled to the left and stalled after controllers advised the pilots to go around due to shifting winds. The ensuing crash and post-crash fire destroyed the aircraft and killed the two pilots. The accident was attributed to "The inadvertent stall of the airplane by the pilot. Factors contributing to the accident were the pilot's disregard of the weather advisory, the unfavorable windshift, and the thunderstorm outflow."[11]
  • 20 November 1996: A Piper PA-28R-200 Arrow, registration number N1394T, crashed into power lines on final approach while performing an Instrument Landing System approach at night in low visibility. The aircraft was destroyed and the two pilots were killed. The accident was attributed to "the pilots' continued descent of the aircraft below decision height. Factors contributing to the accident were the fog, the dark night illumination, one of the pilot's [sic] impairment due to use of marihuana, and both pilots' fatigue."[12]
  • 27 February 1998: A Douglas A4D-2 Skyhawk, registration number N21NB, BuNo 145011, overran Runway 34R on landing and was substantially damaged; the pilot suffered minor injuries. On approach to the airport, the pilot told controllers that he was experiencing engine surges and a "total system failure." The pilot lowered the landing gear using the emergency extension procedure, but the engine surged again, causing the aircraft to touch down at a higher speed than intended, and the pilot was unable to stop the aircraft on the runway. The accident was attributed to "A total hydraulic system failure for an undetermined reason."[13] The aircraft, painted in Royal Australian Navy colors, was later restored and placed on static display at the Air Zoo at Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport.[14]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b FAA Airport Form 5010 for FTW PDF, effective January 31, 2019.
  2. ^ a b Meacham Field History Texas State Historical Association
  3. ^ The Airline News April 7, 2006[permanent dead link‍]
  4. ^ "National Register Information System – American Airways Hangar and Administration Building (#08000317)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  5. ^ Hirst, Caty (January 17, 2015). "Fort Worth Meacham Airport could get more hangar space, jobs". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Fort Worth, Texas. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
  6. ^ Baker, Sandra (June 21, 2018). "It's been 20 years, but could commercial airline service be returning to Meacham Airport?". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Fort Worth, Texas.
  7. ^ "Welcome to Texas Aviation Services". www.texasaviationservices.com. Archived from the original on December 14, 2009. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
  8. ^ "World Airline Directory." Flight International. March 30, 1985. 83." "Meacham Field, Fort Worth, Texas, USA."
  9. ^ "NTSB Aviation Accident Final Report FTW83LA012". National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  10. ^ "NTSB Aviation Accident Final Report FTW84FA156". National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  11. ^ "NTSB Aviation Accident Final Report FTW89FA117". National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  12. ^ "NTSB Aviation Accident Final Report FTW97FA044". National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  13. ^ "NTSB Aviation Accident Final Report FTW98LA134". National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  14. ^ "Skyhawks Displays". skyhawk.org. Skyhawk Association. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
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