Fitch H. Beach Airport

Airport
FPK is located in Michigan
FPK
FPK
Location of airport in Michigan
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FPK is located in the United States
FPK
FPK
FPK (the United States)
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Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
2/20 3,500 1,067 Concrete
14/32 2,318 707 Turf
Statistics (2021)
Aircraft operations11,315
Based aircraft18
Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1]

Fitch H. Beach Airport (ICAO: KFPK, FAA LID: FPK) is a city-owned, public-use airport located two nautical miles (3.7 km) northeast of the central business district of Charlotte, a city in Eaton County, Michigan, United States.[1] It is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2017–2021, in which it is categorized as a local general aviation facility.[2]

Although many U.S. airports use the same three-letter location identifier for the FAA and IATA, this airport is assigned FPK by the FAA and no designation from the IATA.[3]

Facilities and aircraft

Fitch H. Beach Airport covers an area of 190 acres (77 ha) at an elevation of 891 feet (272 m) above mean sea level. It has two runways: 2/20 is 3,500 by 75 feet (1,067 x 23 m) with a concrete surface; 14/32 is 2,318 by 100 feet (707 x 30 m) with a turf surface.[1] Runway 14/32 is closed from December through March, and also when snow-covered. The airport is staffed daily from 8AM until dusk.

The airport has a fixed-base operator that offers general maintenance, courtesy transportation, pilot supplies, and more.[4]

For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2021, the airport had 11,315 general aviation aircraft operations, an average of 31 per day. At that time there were 18 aircraft based at this airport: 16 single-engine and 2 multi-engine airplanes.[1][5][6]

Transit

The airport is accessible by road from Island Highway, and is located near I-69 (exits 60 and 61), M-50, and M-79.

Accidents and incidents

  • On April 11, 2007, a Cessna 210 Centurion was damaged during a hard landing and runway excursion at the airport. The pilot reported a strong gust just above the runway that caused the aircraft to touch down hard and porpoise. Though the pilot attempted to add power, the nose wheel was damaged and lead the plane off the runway. The nose and left main landing gears subsequently collapsed. The probable cause of the incident was found to be the pilot's inadequate compensation for the wind conditions, inadequate landing flare, failure to maintain directional control, and encounter with a pilot-induced oscillation.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d FAA Airport Form 5010 for FPK PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. effective 8 April 2010.
  2. ^ "List of NPIAS Airports" (PDF). FAA.gov. Federal Aviation Administration. 21 October 2016. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  3. ^ "Charlotte, Michigan - Fitch H. Beach Airport (ICAO: KFPK, FAA: FPK)". Great Circle Mapper. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
  4. ^ "Charlotte Air Services". FlightAware. Retrieved 2023-01-10.
  5. ^ "AirNav: KFPK — Fitch H Beach Airport". AirNav.com. Retrieved 2023-01-10.
  6. ^ "KFPK — Fitch H Beach Airport". SkyVector Aeronautical Charts. Retrieved 2023-01-10.
  7. ^ "N77RE accident description". Plane Crash Map. Retrieved 2023-01-10.

External links

  • Charlotte Air Services, the fixed-base operator (FBO)
  • "Fitch H. Beach Muni (FPK)" (PDF). (54.4 KB) at Michigan DOT Airport Directory
  • Aerial image as of 13 April 1999 from USGS The National Map
  • FAA Terminal Procedures for FPK, effective June 13, 2024
  • Resources for this airport:
    • FAA airport information for FPK
    • AirNav airport information for KFPK
    • FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
    • NOAA/NWS weather observations: current, past three days
    • SkyVector aeronautical chart, Terminal Procedures