Alexander Salamon Airport
Alexander Salamon Airport is a public owned public use airport located four nautical miles north of the central business district of the city of West Union, in Adams County, Ohio, United States.
Although many U.S. airports use the same three-letter location identifier for the FAA and IATA, this airport is assigned AMT by the FAA but has no designation from the IATA.
The airport was named after Dr. Alexander Salamon, a refugee from Czechoslovakia who survived the Dachau concentration camp and immigrated to New York after the war. In 1953, he moved with his wife Lilly and daughter Suzanne to Seaman, Ohio, where another daughter Julie was born. Dr. Salamon served as a physician in Seaman and throughout Adams County until his death in 1971, at age 61. He donated the land from the family farm for the Alexander Salamon Airport because of his gratitude to the county.
Facilities and aircraft
Alexander Salamon Airport covers an area of at an elevation of 896 feet above mean sea level. It has one asphalt paved runway: 5/23 is 3,558 by 65 feet.The airport has a fixed-base operator that sells fuel and offers limited amenities.
In 2022, the airport received funding from the US Department of Transportation to make upgrades to its facilities. Plans were made to remove a taxiway, reconstruct an existing taxiway, and reconstruct an existing apron.
For the 12-month period ending September 7, 2021, the airport had 1,416 aircraft operations, an average of 27 per week: all general aviation. At that time, there were 17 aircraft based at this airport: all single-engine airplanes.
Accidents and incidents
- On June 24, 2009, an amateur-built Schendl model Mustang II airplane crashed after takeoff from the Alexandr Salamon Airport. Witnesses said the aircraft's engine began running rough on climbout, and smoke was reported coming from the aircraft's tail. The plane attempted to turn back to the runway before entering a nose-down, spiraling descent until impact with terrain. The probable cause of the accident was found to be the pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed after a loss of engine power for undetermined reasons, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/spin at a low altitude.
- On March 13, 2014, a Beechcraft Debonair crashed after landing at the Alexander Salamon Airport. The pilot stated that the wheels locked up and the airplane began to skid after he applied brakes on touchdown. The airplane departed the left side of the runway and impacted runway lighting obstructions near the intersection of the runway and a taxiway.
- On November 15, 2021, a Piper PA-22 Tri Pacer crashed while on approach to the Alexander Salamon Airport. While descending from cruise flight, the pilot said the airplane began to roll to the left unless he continuously held 3/4 aileron input. The pilot diverted to AMT. During the landing flare, the aircraft continued its lefthand roll, bounced, and departed the side of the runway.