Mys Shmidta Airport
Mys Shmidta Airport, also known as Cape Shmidt Airport, is a former military airbase in the Iultinsky District of Chukotka, Russia. It is located southeast of Mys Shmidta.
It is a major airfield with a concrete tarmac. It was built in 1954 as an Arctic staging base for intercontinental bomber flights, with caretaker services provided by OGA. The gravel overrun suggests that the runway was to eventually be extended to 3000 m. Unlike airports such as the Provideniya Bay Airport, which has always been a civilian airport, or the Iultin Airport, which was constructed specifically to serve the needs of the remote mine nearby, the Mys Shmidta airport was initially part of the ring of forward staging bases used by the Arctic Control Group prior to intercontinental ballistic missiles gaining favour as the primary means of long-range defense.
Accidents
- On July 6, 1989, 4 minutes after takeoff from the Cape Shmidt airfield, the engines on the Il-14 ice reconnaissance aircraft failed; Due to a forced landing on the water surface of the lagoon, the plane was seriously damaged. The crew members escaped with minor injuries.
- On February 1, 1995, during a landing approach, due to a piloting error, an An-28 aircraft made a rough landing 15 meters before the end of the runway. After the impact, the plane separated from the ground and landed a second time at a distance of 20 meters from the beginning of the runway. The plane stopped at a distance of 225 meters from the end of the runway. As a result, the plane was seriously damaged. There were no fatalities.