Bellefontaine Regional Airport(ICAO: KEDJ, FAALID: EDJ) is a publicly owned, public use airport located three miles west of Bellefontaine, in Logan County, Ohio. It is a general aviation airport operated by Midwest Corporate Air under the auspices of the City of Bellefontaine and is accessible from State Route 47.
Most U.S. airports use the same three-letter location identifier for the FAA and IATA, Bellefontaine Regional Airport is EDJ to the FAA and has no IATA code.[2]
For the last several years, Bellefontaine Regional has hosted an annual "Airfest" in late summer.
History
The airport replaced an earlier airport, Bellefontaine Municipal Airport, which was previously four miles (6km) northeast of the current airport (to the north of the city, near U.S. Route 68). According to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, the current Bellefontaine Regional was, at its opening in 2002, only the second new airport to open in Ohio in the last 30 years.[3]
In 2021, the airport received a $32,000 grant from the Federal Aviation Administration to fund operations, personnel, cleaning, sanitization, janitorial services, debt service payments, and funds to combat the spread of pathogens at the airport. The money was aimed to help the airport recover from the covid-19 pandemic.[4]
Facilities
The airport covers 300 acres (120ha) and has one asphaltrunway (7/25) 4,999 x 100ft (1,524 x 30 m) long.[1]
The airport has fuel available. Planes can use tiedowns or hangars for parking.
In the year ending September 3, 2021 the airport had 8,395 aircraft operations, average 23 per day: 89% general aviation and 11% air taxi. For the same time period, 28 aircraft were based at the airport: 22 single-engine and 5 multi-engine airplanes as well as 1 jet.[1][5][6]
The airport is also home to a large flight school named Midwest Corporate Air.
Accidents and incidents
On August 17, 2021, a Diamond DA42 Twin Star crashed after takeoff from the Bellefontaine Regional Airport when both of its engines lost power. The two pilots were able to stabilize the aircraft and brought it to a landing at the edge of airport property. Neither the flight instructor nor the student pilot onboard were injured. The aircraft was on its first flight since time-limited engine fuel feed pumps had been replaced on both engines; no maintenance check flight was completed after the replacements because none was required. After the accident, examination of the right engine revealed that the right engine fuel feed pump bolt was not seated and thus might have resulted in inadequate fuel pressure for proper engine operation. The cause of the left engine's power loss could not be determined. The probable cause of the accident was found to be the improper position of the right engine’s fuel feed pump bolt, which led to a total loss of power on the right engine, and the left engine's partial loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined based on the available evidence.[7][8]
On February 26, 2022, a Diamond DA42 Twin Star was substantially damaged on landing at the Bellefontaine Regional Airport. The aircraft's nose wheel collapsed during the landing sequence, causing the aircraft to veer off the runway and strike a taxiway light.[9]
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