Nikolski Air Station
Airport in Umnak Island
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nikolski Air Station (IATA: IKO, ICAO: PAKO, FAA LID: IKO) is an unattended airport located in Nikolski on Umnak Island in the Aleutians West Census Area of the U.S. state of Alaska. This former military airport is now owned by The Aleut Corporation.[2][1]
Nikolski Air Station | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Private | ||||||||||
| Owner | Aleut Corporation | ||||||||||
| Serves | Nikolski, Alaska | ||||||||||
| Location | Umnak Island | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 77 ft (23 m) | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 52°56′30″N 168°50′56″W | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  IKO Location of airport in Alaska | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1] | |||||||||||
Scheduled commercial airline passenger service is subsidized by the Essential Air Service program. Current service to Nikolski is provided by Grant Aviation from Unalaska.
As per Federal Aviation Administration records, the airport had 165 passenger boardings (enplanements) in calendar year 2008,[3] 219 enplanements in 2009, and 160 in 2010.[4]
History
The airport was built in 1958 to support Nikolski Air Force Station, a Cold War United States Air Force Distant Early Warning Line radar station on Umnak Island. The station was operated by Detachment 1, 714th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron based at Cold Bay Air Force Station, near Cold Bay, Alaska. The radar station was inactivated in September 1969, ending military use of the airport. The Air Force remediated the site around 2000, removing all abandoned military structures and returning the site to a natural condition.
Facilities
Nikolski Air Station resides at elevation of 77 feet (23 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 8/26 with a gravel surface measuring 3,512 by 135 feet (1,070 x 41 m).[1]
Airlines and destinations
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Grant Aviation | Unalaska/Dutch Harbor |
Incidents and accident
- On 29 May 1965, a Reeve Aleutian Airways Douglas C-47A (N91016),[5] during the take-off phase, stalled and crashed because a sudden wind gust caused a premature lift-off. The three crew members and the two passengers on board were not injured. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair and left by the side at the end of the airstrip ever since.[6]
