| Homer Airport | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: HOM – ICAO: PAHO – FAA LID: HOM
HOM
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| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Owner | State of Alaska DOT&PF - Central Region | ||
| Serves | Homer, Alaska | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 84 ft / 26 m | ||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 3/21 | 6,701 | 2,042 | Asphalt |
| Statistics (2006) | |||
| Aircraft operations | 49,821 | ||
| Based aircraft | 93 | ||
| Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1] | |||
Homer Airport (IATA: HOM, ICAO: PAHO, FAA LID: HOM) is a state-owned public-use airport located two nautical miles (4 km) east of the central business district of Homer,[1] a town in the Kenai Peninsula Borough of the U.S. state of Alaska.
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Homer Airport covers an area of 1,040 acres (420 ha) at an elevation of 84 feet (26 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 3/21 with a 6,701 x 150 ft (2,042 x 46 m) asphalt pavement,[1] and a facility for floatplanes on nearby Beluga Lake.
For the 12-month period ending January 1, 2006, the airport had 49,821 aircraft operations, an average of 136 per day: 46% scheduled commercial, 32% air taxi, 22% general aviation and <1% military. At that time there were 93 aircraft based at this airport: 90% single-engine, 4% multi-engine, 3% helicopter and 2% ultralight.[1]
The FAA completed a new master plan for the airport in 2006 and expansion and safety improvements are ongoing.[2] The plan calls for a new haul out area for floatplanes, a public-use helipad, a building for managing rescue and firefighting operations based at the airport, and other general improvements.
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Era Alaska | Anchorage[3] |
| Grant Aviation | Anchorage, Kodiak, Valdez[4] |
| Homer Air | Kachemak Bay[5] |
| Smokey Bay Air | Nanwalek, Port Graham, Seldovia[6] |
| Island Air Service | Kodiak |
In March 2006, agents from the US Marshal service, in conjunction with local police, attempted to apprehend a violent methamphetamine dealer, Jason Karlo Anderson, who had fled from charges in Minnesota. The suspect had rented a car at the Homer airport, and the rental agent assisted police in luring him back to the airport. Marshals were unaware that the entire Homer High School choir, over 100 students, would be departing for a trip at the same time as the setup. The suspect apparently panicked when he arrived and discovered so many people at the small airport, and a shootout ensued in the parking lot after marshals boxed in his car. Karlo was killed, but not before severely wounding his own infant son with a gunshot to the head.[7] The infant's mother, Cheryl Dietzmann, has contested the finding that Anderson shot his own son and in February 2009 filed against the U.S. Marshals asking for seventy-five million dollars in damages.[8] In July 2011 the Marshals settled with Dietzman for 3.5 million dollars. An additional case against the individual Homer Police officers has yet to make it to court.[9]
