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Bluffton Airport

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Bluffton Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerVillage of Bluffton
ServesBluffton, Ohio
Time zoneUTC−05:00 (-5)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−04:00 (-4)
Elevation AMSL851 ft / 259 m
Coordinates40°53′08″N 083°52′07″W / 40.88556°N 83.86861°W / 40.88556; -83.86861
Map
5G7 is located in Ohio
5G7
5G7
Location of airport in Ohio
Show map of Ohio
5G7 is located in the United States
5G7
5G7
5G7 (the United States)
Show map of the United States
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
5/23 4,126 1,258 Asphalt
Statistics (2022)
Aircraft operations42,705
Based aircraft19
Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1]

Bluffton Airport (FAA LID: 5G7) is a public use airport located one nautical mile (1.85 km) southeast of the central business district of Bluffton, in Hancock County, Ohio, United States. It is owned by the Village of Bluffton.[1] According to the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2009–2013, it is categorized as a general aviation facility.[2]

History

Efforts to build an airport in Bluffton began as early as January 1944, when such a facility was proposed during two local club meetings by Clayton Bixel, an automobile dealer. Promoted as a way for returning servicemen to take advantage of their G.I. Bill benefits to learn to fly, work on the 80-acre (32 ha) field 1.5 miles (2.4 km) miles east of the city had begun by late July 1946.[3][4] Plans called for the field to be opened a couple weeks after a 5,400-square-foot (500 m2) hangar had been completed.[5] The airport was officially dedicated on 5 July 1948 as part of Independence Day celebrations.[6]

In 1958, a proposal was made by a businessmen's association to build one airport to serve Allen, Hancock, Hardin and Putnam counties.[7] However, a bond issue fund the idea was defeated at the polls in November.[8]

The airport received a state grant in March 1968 to build a 3,600-foot (1,100 m) paved runway.[9] A contract was awarded the following month.[10] By late November 1969, a proposal had been made to create an industrial park on 500 acres (200 ha) of land surrounding the airport.[11] The airport received an additional state grant in June 1971 to extend the runway to 4,200 feet (1,300 m).[12] Construction on a two floor terminal with four service bays had begun by mid February 1972.[13][11]

The airport received a federal grant to purchase 84 acres (34 ha) of land to lengthen the runway in September 1988.[14]

A federal grant received in September 1994 paid for the relocation of a road at the end of the runway.[15]

It was announced in September 1998 that Life Flight would be basing a helicopter at the airport starting the following month.[16]

Approval was given by the city in August 2001 to purchase 2-acre (0.81 ha) of land to remove trees that were runway obstructions.[17] The following May, council was in the process of accepting a bid to repave the runway.[18]

The terminal was named for Dottie J. Anderson, a local pioneering female pilot, in 2017.[19]

The airport received a federal grant to repave three taxiways in 2022.[20]

Grob factory

In June 1982, the German manufacturer Grob Aircraft relocated the American subsidiary of their company from Spring Valley, New York to a building previously owned by Bixel Motor Sales.[a] At the same time, it announced bidding had begun on construction of a facility to produce aircraft on 139 acres (56 ha) adjacent to the airport.[22] However, nearly four years later, assembly of the company's G 115 airplane in the 18,000-square-foot (1,700 m2) service center was still being planned.[23]

Grob opened a 50,000-square-foot (4,600 m2) machine tool plant on land next to the airport in October 1991.[24][25] The factory expanded to 115,000-square-foot (10,700 m2) in 1995.[26] The company announced plans for a 46,365-square-foot (4,307.4 m2) expansion in February 2012.[27] A 90,000-square-foot (8,400 m2) addition was under construction in 2014.[28] Work on a new 45,918-square-foot (4,265.9 m2) engineering and sales building was underway in January 2019.[29] It broke ground on a 135,000-square-foot (12,500 m2) expansion in December 2023.[30]

Facilities and aircraft

Bluffton Airport covers an area of 100 acres (40 ha) at an elevation of 851 feet (259 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 5/23 with an asphalt surface measuring 4,126 by 75 feet (1,258 x 23 m).[1][31]

For the 12-month period ending August 11, 2022, the airport had 42,705 aircraft operations, an average of 117 per day. It includes 93% general aviation, 7% air taxi, and <1% military. For the same time period, 19 aircraft were based at the airport: 18 single-engine airplanes and 1 helicopter.[31][32] These numbers are down from 71,980 movements and 24 based aircraft in 2008.[1]

The airport has a fixed-base operator that sells fuel, including both avgas and jet fuel. Limited services are available.[33]

The airport received $90,000 from the Federal Aviation Administration in 2022 to rebuild three taxiways.[34]

Accidents and incidents

  • On 23 August 1979, a Piper Navajo crashed while attempting to land at the airport, killing the pilot.[35]
  • On 4 October 1982, a Beechcraft Baron crashed while landing at the airport, injuring the four occupants. The pilot had mistakenly believed he was landing at the Putnam County Airport.[36]
  • On July 30, 2000, a Piper PA-24 impacted terrain while on approach to the Bluffton Airport. An airport employee who witnessed the accident said the pilot had made calls inquiring which runway was in use while on approach to the airport. Soon after, a van pulled up to inform the employee that the aircraft had crashed; there had been no distress call. Another witness reported that they had seen the aircraft approaching the airport when it had abruptly banked right and entered a vertical dive from an altitude of 300-500 feet, which they determined was too low for the aircraft's position on the approach. The probable cause of the accident was found to be the pilot's improper fuel calculations, which resulted in fuel exhaustion, as well as his abrupt maneuver during a forced landing, which resulted in an inadvertent stall.[37]
  • On August 3, 2002, a Piper PA-32 Cherokee Six was substantially damaged during a forced landing near the Bluffton Airport. After flying into another airport the day before and getting fuel, the pilot noticed that the fuel gauge for the right outboard tank indicated empty and the gauge for the right main tank indicated approximately 2/3. The pilot proceeded with a normal runup and found no anomalies; at that point, the fuel gauges indicated full. After a number of flights during the day, while on his last approach into Bluffton, the engine began running rough and subsequently died. The pilot selected a different fuel tank and made several unsuccessful attempts to troubleshoot the problem and restart the engine. He activated the lights for the airport, and turned directly towards the runway, but he subsequently decided he did not have enough altitude to make it to the airport and landed in a soybean field. All but one fuel tank were found to be at least 3/4 full, and the pilot reported he had used different fuel tanks on each of his three flights that day. The probable cause of the accident was found to be the pilot's fuel mismanagement with his failure to position the fuel selector to the proper tank which resulted in engine fuel starvation.[38]
  • On December 27, 2003, a Cessna 172R Skyhawk was substantially damaged while landing at the Bluffton Airport. The pilot reported that, during landing, the airplane was hit by an "unexpected wind gust." The airplane was lifted upward and then impacted the runway "very hard." The airplane then bounced and came to rest on the nose wheel first, causing the landing gear strut to bend and the propeller to impact the runway. The probable cause of the accident was found to be the pilot's improper flare and inadequate recovery from a bounced landing.[39]
  • On August 6, 2009, a Cessna 172S Skyhawk was damaged on landing at the Bluffton Airport. The airplane experienced a hard landing after encountering a gust of wind just prior to the landing flare during a student solo flight. The student pilot reported that, during the touchdown, the left main landing gear and nose landing gear impacted the runway. Unknown that the airplane was damaged, the student pilot executed a touch-and-go and flew the airplane back to his home airport. The probable cause of the accident was found to be the student pilot's failure to compensate for wind conditions and maintain aircraft control during the landing.[40]
  • On June 13, 2022, a Cessna 172 Skyhawk crashed just south of the Bluffton Airport. The pilot lost control of the aircraft, crashed into a field nose first, and flipped over.[41]

See also

References

Footnotes

  1. The building had been under construction by June 1976.[21]

Notes

  1. "FAA Airport Form 5010 for 5G7" (PDF). FAA. . Federal Aviation Administration. effective 3 June 2010.
  2. National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2009–2013: Appendix A: Part 4 (PDF, 1.61 MB) Archived June 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Federal Aviation Administration. Updated 15 October 2008.
  3. "Airport Proposal Gains Additional Support in Town". Bluffton News. 27 January 1944. p. 1. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  4. "Work Underway on Field for New Bluffton Airport". Bluffton News. 26 July 1946. p. 1. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  5. "New Bixel Airport Will Be Operating Within Two Weeks". Bluffton News. 17 October 1946. p. 1. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  6. "Record Breaking Crowd at Fourth of July Celebration in Bluffton". Bluffton News. 8 July 1948. pp. 1–8. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  7. "The Four County Airport". Bluffton News. 5 June 1958. p. 2. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  8. "Bluffton Area Opposes Airport Bonds, And Amend. 1; Favors Amendment 2". Bluffton News. 6 November 1958. p. 1. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  9. "Bluffton Airport Gets Expansion Boost in Grant". The Blade. 2 March 1968. p. 13. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  10. "Ottawa Firm Wins Bluffton Airport Pact". Lima News. 17 April 1968. p. 5. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  11. Braatz, George (28 November 1969). "Airport Hub of $10 Million Project". The Blade. p. 29. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  12. "Bluffton Airport Awarded $50,000". Lima News. 16 June 1971. p. A-6. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  13. "Airport Terminal". Lima News. 11 February 1972. p. 10. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  14. "Bluffton Airport to Be Expanded". Lima News. 3 September 1988. p. A3. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  15. "Grant Awarded for Airport Work". Lima News. 30 September 1994. p. B1. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  16. "St. Rita's to Begin Life Flight Service". The Blade. 30 September 1998. p. 17. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  17. Rausch, Tim (22 August 2001). "Bluffton Airport Gets Lift Off". Lima News. pp. B1–B2. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  18. Rausch, Tim (22 May 2002). "Bluffton Airport to Get New Runway". Lima News. p. B5. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  19. "Dorothy "Dottie" Anderson". Bluffton Ohio Historical Society. 7 March 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  20. "Photo-Story: Bluffton Airport Funding for Taxiway Replacement". Bluffton Icon. 5 August 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  21. "Bixel Ford Part of Bluffton Scene Since 1915". Lima News. 14 June 1976. p. B12. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  22. Smith, Russ (5 June 1982). "Burkhart Grob Moves Operations from to Bluffton". Lima News. p. B12. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  23. Leitz, Mike (11 May 1986). "Burkhart Grob Plans Sport Plane at Bluffton Plant". Lima News. p. E1. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  24. Harris, Fred W. (3 May 1990). "West German Company to Expand Bluffton Plant". Lima News. p. B1. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  25. Pina, Phillip C. (5 October 1991). "German Company Opens Assembly Plant in Bluffton". Lima News. pp. A1, A4. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  26. Lederman, Ronald (6 June 1999). "Grob Growing". Lima News. p. C8. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  27. Blake, Bob (2 February 2012). "Grob to Expand with Loan". Lima News. pp. B1, B3. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  28. "Grob Open House Offers Tours, Prizes". Lima News. 17 September 2014. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  29. "Grob Begins a $14 Million Expansion Project". Your Hometown Stations. 23 January 2019. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  30. "GROB Systems Expanding In Bluffton, Adding Jobs". WFIN. 24 January 2024. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  31. "5G7 - Bluffton Airport | SkyVector". skyvector.com. Retrieved 2023-07-10.
  32. "AirNav: 5G7 - Bluffton Airport". www.airnav.com. Retrieved 2023-07-10.
  33. "Bluffton Flying Service Co FBO Info & Fuel Prices at Bluffton (5G7)". FlightAware. Retrieved 2023-07-10.
  34. "Brown Announces $90,000 to Improve Bluffton Airport | U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio". www.brown.senate.gov. Retrieved 2023-07-10.
  35. "Inspector from FAA at Bluffton". Lima News. 24 August 1979. p. B1. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  36. "Plane Crash Hurts Four at Bluffton". The Blade. 5 October 1982. p. 30. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
  37. "Piper PA-24-250 crash in Ohio (N5271P) | PlaneCrashMap.com". planecrashmap.com. Retrieved 2023-07-10.
  38. "Piper PA-32-300 crash in Ohio (N110CF) | PlaneCrashMap.com". planecrashmap.com. Retrieved 2023-07-10.
  39. "Cessna 172R crash in Ohio (N363SA) | PlaneCrashMap.com". planecrashmap.com. Retrieved 2023-07-10.
  40. "Cessna 172S crash in Ohio (N6186T) | PlaneCrashMap.com". planecrashmap.com. Retrieved 2023-07-10.
  41. "Plane Crashes in Field South of Bluffton Airport on Monday Evening". Lima News. 13 June 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2026.