Ennis Municipal Airport

Ennis Municipal Airport
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner City of Ennis
Serves Ennis, Texas
Location 3000 W Ennis Ave, Ennis, TX 75119[1]
Elevation AMSL 500 ft / 152 m
Coordinates 32°19′47″N 096°39′50″W / 32.32972°N 96.66389°W / 32.32972; -96.66389Coordinates: 32°19′47″N 096°39′50″W / 32.32972°N 96.66389°W / 32.32972; -96.66389
Map
F41
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
15/33 3,999 1,219 Asphalt
Statistics (2016)
Aircraft operations 3,720
Based aircraft 12
Sources: Federal Aviation Administration[2] unless noted otherwise

Ennis Municipal Airport (FAA LID: F41) is a city-owned public airport in Ennis, Ellis County, Texas, United States, located approximately 2 nautical miles (3.7 km) west of the central business district.[1][2][3] The airport has no IATA or ICAO designation.[4]

Facilities

Ennis Municipal Airport covers 30 acres (12 ha) at an elevation of 500 ft (152 m) above mean sea level (AMSL), and has one runway:

  • Runway 15/33: 3,999 x 50 ft. (1,219 x 15 m), Surface: Asphalt[2]

For the 12-month period ending 4 April 2016, the airport had 3,720 aircraft operations, an average of 10 per day: 97% general aviation and 3% military. At that time there were 12 aircraft based at this airport: 83% single-engine and 17% multi-engine, with no jets, helicopters, nor gliders.[2]

Replacement plan

Initial consideration for a replacement airport began in 2005 to address maintenance problems and a lack of expansion space; the existing runway cannot be extended economically due to close proximity to FM Road 1722 and Lake Clark, and it has chronic paving problems due to poor soil and drainage.[5] An economic feasibility assessment was done for a new 490 ac (198 ha) airport—with a 5,000 ft (1,524 m) runway capable of handling business jets—adjacent to a new 300 ac (121 ha) business park.[6] Moving the airport would allow the redevelopment of 1,200 acres (490 ha) of land for residential purposes, and proceeds from the sale of the existing airport site will be applied to the new airport project.[6] By September 2008, a provisional site was selected near the Texas Motorplex, with grants from the State Airport Fuel Fund (TxDOT) and the FAA to cover 90% of the cost, and the city the other 10%, with only the environmental assessment awaiting completion.[5] However, the plans were shelved by early 2010 due to economic pressure and FAA funding cuts.[7] The proposal has been revived as of late 2017.[8]

Accidents and incidents

  • 10 January 1998: An Aero Commander 500B, registration number N556BW, struck power lines and terrain during an attempted single-engine go-around; the pilot and copilot were killed, the aircraft was destroyed, and the single passenger (who was also a commercially rated pilot) was seriously injured. After departing from nearby Lancaster Municipal Airport and climbing through 4,000 feet (1,200 m), the right-hand engine lost power, and the pilots feathered the propeller and prepared for a precautionary landing on Runway 15 at Ennis Municipal in visual meteorological conditions. The rated passenger, who sat in a rear-facing seat, remarked that the approach "seemed textbook perfect," but the pilots initiated a go-around for unknown reasons. As the flying pilot raised the flaps and began raising the landing gear, the nose pitched up, and the "left wing started up in what [the passenger believed] to be a VMC roll." The craft clipped power lines and impacted the ground in a right-wing-low attitude, coming to rest inverted. The post-crash investigation revealed a history of uncorrected problems with the right-hand engine, and found that the aircraft was overloaded by 116.3 pounds (52.8 kg), with the center of gravity 1.3 inches (33 mm) too far forward. The accident was attributed to "failure of the flight crew to maintain minimum control speed (VMC) during go-around from a single-engine approach, which resulted in loss of control and collision with power lines and the ground. Related factors were: a ruptured diaphragm in the distributor valve (flow divider) of the right engine's fuel injector system, which resulted in loss of power in the right engine; inadequate maintenance; a failure to comply with Bendix Service Bulletin RS-76; the airplane's excessive gross weight and forward center-of-gravity (CG); and both pilots' lack of experience in this make and model of airplane."[9]

References

  1. 1 2 "Ellis County, Texas - Ennis Municipal Airport". Ellis County, Texas. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 FAA Airport Master Record for F41 (Form 5010 PDF). Federal Aviation Administration, Effective 26 April 2018.
  3. ↑ "Texas Airport Directory - Ennis, Ennis Municipal (F41)" (PDF). Texas Department of Transportation. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  4. ↑ "F41 Ennis [Ennis Municipal Airport], TX, US - Airport". Great Circle Mapper. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  5. 1 2 "New Airport on Horizon". The Ennis News. 29 September 2008. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  6. 1 2 Allen, Margaret (11 September 2005). "Ennis to hunt for new airport site". Dallas Business Journal. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  7. ↑ "City expects delays for its new airport". The Ennis News. 18 March 2010. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  8. ↑ "City Seeks New Airport Location". The Ennis News. 3 October 2017. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  9. ↑ "NTSB Aviation Accident Final Report FTW98FA092". National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  • "Ennis, Ennis Municipal (F41)" (PDF). at Texas DOT Airport Directory
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