Moraine Airpark

The airport is on the site where the Wright Brothers tested seaplanes in 1907. The current airport is adjacent to the river the brothers used, which no longer houses the now-famed former seaplane base.[4]

In 2015, Ohio Governor John Kasich was accidentally flown to Dayton International Airport even though arrangements were made to fly him to the Moraine Airpark. Agents scrambled from Moraine to International to accommodate the mixup.[9]

In 2016, the airport was a stop for a light aircraft powered exclusively by biofuel. The pilots, a father and son duo, were flying across the United states in the aircraft.[10]

Moraine Airpark covers an area of 155 acres (63 ha), which contains one asphalt paved runway, designated as runway 8/26. The runway measures 3,500 x 65 ft (1,067 x 20 m). Use of the grassy area next to the runway is normal at this airport.[1][11][12]

The airport has a fixed base operator that offers avgas, courtesy transportation, and more.[13]

For the 12-month period ending September 8, 2022, the airport had 26,280 aircraft operations, an average of 72 per day: 79% general aviation, 20% air taxi, and <1% military. This is down from 87,263 at the airport, an average of 239 per day, in 2007. In 2022, there were 111 aircraft based at the airport: 104 single-engine and 2 multi-engine airplanes, 3 ultralights, 1 helicopter, and 1 glider.[1][11][12]

• On July 17, 2002, a Waco UPF-7 and a homebuilt Kitfox IV collided at the Moraine Airpark. The Kitfox had just landed on the grass area adjacent to runway 26 when, upon observing that there was no traffic on the runway or on final approach, he back taxied to the runway again. Upon entering runway 26, the Kitfox was struck by the Waco, which was on its landing rollout. The pilot of the Waco stated that, during his approach to the airport, he observed the Kitfox in the grass area adjacent to the left side of the runway. The next time he observed the Kitfox, it was on the runway, with no time to take evasive action. The probable cause of the accident was found to be the inadequate visual lookout by the pilot of the Kitfox.[14][15]
• On October 2, 2002, a Beagle Aircraft B.206 Basset was destroyed after impacting terrain after departing from the Moraine Airpark. According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the pilot had applied for, and was granted, a ferry permit to fly the airplane to ESN the day of the accident. On the day of the accident, the pilot asked a mechanic for help because he was struggling to start the aircraft. The mechanic drained water from the center sump drain located under the main fuselage, and the pilot subsequently started the engine. A witness, also a pilot, said that the accident aircraft's engine sounded good on the takeoff roll, but he also said that it didn't sound like it was producing full power. The aircraft lifted off abruptly and its landing gear was retracted, but it settled back towards the ground, clearing the levee at the end of the runway by only a few feet. The airplane then began a climb again, reaching a height of about 120 feet, and proceeded straight out from the airport. About 30 seconds later, the airplane banked gently to the left, where a faint puff of black smoke was observed coming from an engine. As the bank continued, the airplane descended into a near vertical dive. The probable cause of the accident was found to be the pilot's inadequate preflight inspection, his operation of the airplane with an overdue annual inspection, and his failure to maintain airspeed after the failure of an engine, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin. A factor related to the accident was the contaminated fuel.[16]
• On July 1, 2005, a Piper PA-28 was substantially damaged during a forced landing after departing from the Moraine Airpark. Before the flight, the aircraft was fueled with 33.1 gallons of avgas and the pilot conducted a "thorough" preflight inspection, including taking fuel samples. After departure the pilot smelled smoke but decided to continue the takeoff because he didn't have enough space to abort it. He climbed to 500 feet, felt that things "just weren't right," and returned to the airport. As he turned the plane around, the engine suddenly lost power. The pilot then performed a forced landing, where the airplane struck trees, and subsequently impacted the ground. An airport employee reported watching the aircraft performing a high speed taxi to the runup area; 5 minutes later, the witness heard the engine sputtering as it crossed midfield, and it appeared to be struggling to climb. A postaccident investigation found the fuel filler caps were heavily corroded, and examination of the fuel sample device revealed loose sediment and debris in the bottom of the cup, and that it smelled of must. The probable cause of the accident was found to be the pilot's inadequate preflight inspection, which resulted in fuel contamination and a subsequent loss of engine power.
• On June 17, 2008, a Helton Lark 95 crashed after takeoff from the Moraine Airpark. The aircraft had recently been sold and was being ferried by a Frontier Airlines pilot to Reno, Nevada. A witness, also a maintenance worker at the airport, said the aircraft began sputtering as it climbed out over the Great Miami River just before crashing. The aircraft's passenger remembered taking off and entering a sharp left turn and that the aircraft's engine was running in the bank, though she did not remember what problem the pilot reported or what altitude they reached. The probable cause of the accident was found to be the improper installation of spark plugs during the annual inspection which resulted in a loss of engine power shortly after takeoff.[17][18][19]
• On November 16, 2022, a single-engine Piper PA24 Comanche aircraft landed with its landing gear retracted at the Moraine Airpark. Investigators believe the incident was due to a mechanical failure.[20][21]

• Resources for this airport:
  • FAA airport information for I73
  • AirNav airport information for I73
  • FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart for I73