Ann Arbor Municipal Airport

Ann Arbor Municipal Airport(IATA:ARB,ICAO:KARB,FAALID:ARB) is ageneral aviationairport inWashtenaw County,Michigan,United States. It is included in theFederal Aviation Administration(FAA)National Plan of Integrated Airport Systemsfor 2017 to 2021, in which it iscategorizedas a regionalgeneral aviationfacility.

Ann Arbor Municipal Airport
Airportpassenger terminal
FAA airport diagram
IATA:ARB ICAO:KARB FAALID:ARB
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	City of Ann Arbor
Operator	City of Ann Arbor
Serves	Washtenaw County, Michigan
Location	City of Ann Arbor (exclave surrounded byPittsfield Township)
ElevationAMSL	839 ft / 256 m
Coordinates	42°13′23″N083°44′44″W
Map
ARB Location of airport in Michigan ARB ARB(the United States)
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 6/24 3,500 1,067 Concrete 12/30 2,750 838 Turf
Statistics (2021)
Aircraft Movements 75,200 Based Aircraft 152
Source: AirNav.com

Airportcontrol tower,passenger terminalandtarmac

Airport viewed from State Road

The airport is located inPittsfield Township,but is owned and operated by theCity of Ann Arbor.The airport property wasannexedby the City of Ann Arbor for water rights before Pittsfield became acharter townshipin 1972.About 15% of the water pumped to Ann Arbor's Water Treatment Plant comes from wells located at the city's airport.Pittsfield Township provides police and fire services to the airport when required. Despite being located entirely within the boundaries of Pittsfield, the township has no voting representation on any committee, council or board tasked with the management of airport operations.The airport is located about 4.3 miles (6.9 km) south of downtown Ann Arbor.

The airport is ageneral aviationfacility with mostly smallercorporateandprivate aircraft,with no scheduledpassengerorcargoflights.The airport is also occasionally used by aircraft transporting patients to theUniversity of Michigan Health System.The UMHS keeps its Survival Flighthelicoptersat the airport, but does not keep itsfixed-wingSurvival Flightjet aircraftat the site because of the lack of 24-hour control tower staffing.

As of 2013,the airport's annual budget was around $800,000, which the city makes by renting hangars and imposing fuel surcharges; the city does not allocate funds to the airport.

History

Built in 1928, Ann Arbor Municipal Airport is aclass II airport.

The Ann Arbor City Council established an Airport Advisory Committee in 1961; the Ann Arbor city council appoints seven people (full voting members) serving three-year terms, and Pittsfield Charter Township andLodi Townshipeach appoint a non-votingrepresentative to the committee.

Runway expansions have been proposed since the 1980s but have been denied on each occasion by city councils.The need for runway expansion on safety grounds is unclear as purported over-runs were actually off the side of the runway and attributed to pilot error after investigation. The most recent proposed runway expansion project, first floated to the Ann Arbor City Council in 2007, proposes lengthening the runway by 800 feet and moving the entire runway toward the south west corner of the airport (closer to neighboring residential subdivisions). This would not change the airport's classification but could affect the size of the aircraft using the airport.All B-II small aircraft are currently capable of operating on the existing 3,505 ft runway without weight restriction. However, larger airplanes (jets) already do use this B-II certified runway but with weight and fuel restrictions. Any extension to the runway will not change the operation of B-II classification aircraft but will allow larger aircraft (jets in the C-I and C-II categories) to land and operate out of the airport with full weight and fuel. The proposal is undergoingenvironmental impact studiesbut has experienced delays because of initial inaccuracies supplied in the proposal, prolonged review by the FAA, and opposition from Pittsfield Township and the local citizens' group Committee for Preserving Community Quality, made up of citizens from Pittsfield and Lodi, as well as some Ann Arborites who view the project as too expensive or unlikely to be approved.On March 24, 2009, Pittsfield unanimously approved a Resolution Opposing Proposed Expansion of the Ann Arbor Municipal Airport Runway. Lodi Township, which is adjacent to Pittsfield on the west side and also impacted by ARB, passed a similar resolution on May 12, 2009. A legal petition has been made to the Secretary of Transportation Washington, D.C. in opposition to the proposed expansion.

A plan to reignite this runway expansion arose in 2017.

Facilities and aircraft

Ann Arbor Municipal Airport covers 837 acres (3.39 km²) and has two runways:

• Main Runway 6/24: 3,500 ft × 75 ft (1,067 m × 23 m), surface: concrete
• Secondary Runway 12/30: 2,750 ft × 110 ft (838 m × 34 m), surface: grass

The grass runway intersects the paved runway and is used during the summertime.In 2013 there were almost 170aircraft hangarsat the airport.

The airport has an operating control tower that is operated by the FAA.The airport is located inFAA Class "D" airspace.There has been a gradual reduction in operations at the airport (both itinerant and local) since a peak in 1999.

The airport has twoFBOsthat together offer fuel, general maintenance, aircraft parking, courtesy cars, pilot supplies, crew lounges, snooze rooms, showers, and more. The Ann Arbor City Council in late 2022 approved a plan to replace one of the FBOs with a new operator by voting to decline the current operator's lease at the airport.

For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2021, the airport had 75,200 aircraft operations, an average of 206 per day, consisting completely ofgeneral aviation.For the same time period, there were 152 aircraft based at the airport: 133 single-engine and 12 multi-engineairplanes,5helicopters,1jet,and 1glider.

Accidents and incidents

• On October 7, 1989, aPiper PA-28 Cherokeecrashed in Ann Arbor due to the pilot's failure to maintain sufficient airspeed, leading to an inadvertent stall.
• On January 20, 2001, aCessna 152collided with a snow bank while landing in Ann Arbor. The student pilot aboard brought the approach in too low and pulled power idle too soon, causing the aircraft to sink and touch down 10 feet before the approach end of the runway. The aircraft impacted a snow bank, and the aircraft's nose gear was pushed under the belly while the right main gear was separated from the wheel assembly. The probable cause was found to be the CFI's delay in initiating remedial action to arrest the sink rate which developed on final approach.
• On June 21, 2001, aMasko Mustang MIIimpacted terrain while operating in ARB'straffic pattern.Witnesses report the aircraft made a steep right turn prior to spiraling to the ground. The probable cause was found to be the pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane resulting in the inadvertentstall/spin.
• On October 17, 2001, aPiper PA-34 Senecasustained substantial damage while landing at Ann Arbor. The aircraftoverran the runwaywhile attempting to land. The probable cause was found to be the pilot's failure to maintain directional control during the landing, with a crosswind as a contributing factor.
• On October 26, 2003, aSchweizer 269Cwas damaged during a forced landing due to an engine failure and subsequent autorotation. After takeoff, the aircraft suddenly yawed left, and the engine began to uncontrollably increase and decrease speed as if the throttle was being rolled on and off. No annunciator lights illuminated during the initial sequence. The engine subsequently made popping noises and continued to yaw uncontrollable until touchdown. The probable cause was found to be the loss of engine power due to carburetor ice.
• On April 8, 2005, aCessna 172 Skyhawkwas damaged during a forced landing while operating at ARB. The aircraft was attempting a go around due to an unstable approach, but when the throttle was advanced, the engine lost power. The probable cause was found to be the failure of the carburetor nozzle resulting in loss of engine power and the unsuitable terrain encountered during the forced landing.
• On August 29, 2009, aSocata TBM 700was damaged during landing in Ann Arbor. The probable cause was found to be the pilot's hard landing during gusty wind conditions.
• On May 25, 2011, a flight instructor was injured after walking into the spinning propeller of aCessna 152at Ann Arbor Municipal.
• On April 5, 2012, aRemos Gxcrashed during takeoff from Ann Arbor. The solo student pilot aboard claimed the aircraft suddenly veered left during takeoff, and he was unable to correct the turn with rudder or aileron. The aircraft momentarily lifted off before pitching down in a left turn on takeoff. The probable cause of the accident was found to be the pilot's failure to maintain airplane control on takeoff, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and collision with terrain.
• On June 9, 2013, aCessna 172 Skyhawkexperienced a landing gear during a hard landing in Ann Arbor. The aircraft bounced on landing and elected to continue the attempt, porpoising until the gear collapsed and the aircraft came to rest. The probable cause of the accident was found to be the pilot's failure to make a go-around in a timely manner and his loss of control during landing.
• On October 12, 2013, an aircraft operated by a local flying club experienced a landing gear collapse due to a hard landing at the airport. The sole pilot on board was not injured.
• On October 10, 2014, aPiper PA-28 Cherokeecollided with a deer during a nighttime takeoff. The pilot aborted the takeoff. Substantial damage was found to the aircraft's forward firewall and fuselage.
• On September 11, 2022, aCessna 152made an emergency landing in a field near the airport due to an engine failure after takeoff. The two on board were not injured.
• On December 10, 2023, aPiper Malibu Meridianwas damaged after a hard landing and runway excursion at the Ann Arbor Municipal Airport. The pilot was flying an RNAV (GPS)instrument approach procedureto the airport and experiencedwind shear50 feet above the ground and short of the runway. The wind shear forced the aircraft to the ground. After impacting the ground, the aircraft continued onto the runway. The main landing gear separated, and the airplane veered off the side of the runway before coming to a stop. The probable cause of the accident was found to be the airplane’s encounter with unexpected wind shear during final approach, which resulted in a hard landing short of the runway.

See also

• List of airports in Michigan
• Willow Run Airportin nearbyYpsilanti

External links

Media related toAnn Arbor Municipal Airportat Wikimedia Commons

• Ann Arbor Aviation Center – fixed-base operator (FBO), flight training, FAA computer testing & A/C rental
• Solo Aviation – fixed-base operator (FBO)
• Michigan Flyers – flying club based at ARB
• Ann Arbor Flyers – flying Club based at ARB
• Ann Arbor Municipal AirportonLocalWiki
• Resources for this airport:
  • FAAairport information for ARB
  • AirNavairport information for KARB
  • ASNaccident history for ARB
  • FlightAwareairport informationandlive flight tracker
  • NOAA/NWS weather observations:current,past three days
  • SkyVectoraeronautical chart,Terminal Procedures