Lorain County Regional Airport

Lorain County Regional Airport is a public airport in Lorain County, Ohio, owned by the Lorain County Board of Commissioners and located in New Russia Township. The airport is about 7 miles south of Lorain and 5 miles southwest of Elyria. The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015 categorized it as a general aviation reliever airport.

The airport holds a regular Discover Aviation Day. The event features aircraft such as the Ford Tri-Motor, a World War II-era B-25 bomber, gliders, and more.

The airport is home to a chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association.

History
The airport was the center of controversy in 2005 when the Lorain County Commissioners met and voted on whether to take over the airport in private. The American Civil Liberties Union challenged the meeting's private nature, calling the action a violation of people’s right to information about decisions that affect them. The Commissioners eventually rescinded their vote and met again in public.

The airport received $69,000 in federal stimulus from the CARES Act to help it weather the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, the airport received another $500,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Transportation to improve the airport.

Facilities and aircraft
Lorain County Regional Airport covers 1,149 acres (465 ha) at an elevation of 793 feet (242 m) above mean sea level. It has one asphalt runway, 7/25, 5,002 by 100 feet (1,525 x 30 m).

In the year ending September 28, 2020 the airport had 21,900 aircraft operations, average 60 per day: 94% general aviation and 6% air taxi. This is down from 42,610 operations in 2010. 88 aircraft were then based at the airport in 2022: 70 single-engine and 7 multi-engine airplanes as well as 1 helicopter and 1 glider.

The airport has a fixed-base operator that has fuel, both avgas and jet fuel, as well as aircraft maintenance, catering, hangars, courtesy transportation, a conference room, a crew lounge, and more.

Incidents

 * On February 19, 2002, a Hughes 269C was substantially damaged during a takeoff attempt from a platform at the Lorain County Regional Airport. The pilot reported he lifted the helicopter off the platform "quickly." As the aircraft climbed, it began a turn to the right, and the pilot applied left pedal to counteract. As the pilot continued to increase the collective, the helicopter began a 360-degree "aggravated spin" to the right. The pilot then "chopped" the throttle and the collective, and the helicopter "dropped fast." He added a slight amount of collective before landing, and the spin to the right became more aggravated. The helicopter then impacted the platform and rolled over onto its side. The probable cause of the accident was found to be the pilot's failure to maintain directional control during takeoff.
 * On September 1, 2005, a Dessault Falcon 20D operated by USA Jet Airlines on a cargo flight to Saint Louis-Lambert International Airport crashed while taking off from the Lorain County Regional Airport. The aircraft impacted a flock of birds while on its takeoff run, ingesting them into both engines and causing the first engine to fail. The aircraft climbed for 10 seconds when the stall warning sounded. The pilot flying adjusted the flight controls for landing, and the airplane contacted the runway straight-and-level 3,000 feet after rotation. The airplane overran the runway, struck a fence, crossed a road, and came to rest in a cornfield about 1,000 feet beyond the initial point of ground contact. The probable cause of the accident was found to be the ingestion of multiple birds in each engine at takeoff, which resulted in a complete loss of engine power.
 * On May 15, 2003, a Cessna 208B Super Cargomaster crashed after departure from Lorain County Regional Airport. When the pilot leveled off after departure, the low fuel pressure light illuminated, and the fuel flow was lower than normal. There was no change when the pilot turned on the boost pump and ignition, and the low fuel pressure light remained activated. The pilot advanced the power lever to full, but there was no response from the engine, and the pilot heard what he thought was a decreasing engine noise. The pilot subsequently performed a forced landing. The probable cause was found to be the pilot's failure to verify the position of the fuel selectors prior to takeoff, which resulted in a power loss due to fuel starvation.
 * On January 18, 2010, a Mitsubishi MU-2 turboprop crashed on approach, killing four.
 * On May 23, 2015, a Vans RV-6A was damaged while landing at the Lorain County Regional Airport During the landing flare, the left wing lifted up and the stall warning horn sounded. The airplane immediately descended, impacted the ground, and slid off the runway. The probable cause of the accident was found to be the pilot's failure to maintain airplane attitude control during the landing flare, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall, hard landing, and runway excursion.
 * On June 30, 2019, an aircraft crashed just outside the airport.
 * On November 17, 2019, a Navion aircraft landed gear-up at the Lorain County Regional Airport.