Atlantic City's Bader Field to close

BADER FIELD TO BECOME A MEMORY (KAIY)
Atlantic City has formally told the FAA that it intends to close Bader Field airport, AOPA has learned from the FAA’s Eastern Region. Under a law that AOPA helped get passed, the city is required to give at least 30 days advance notice of a proposed closing, even if there are no longer any federal grants in place. The airport will likely close in September. “AOPA fought long and hard with the state of New Jersey and three successive Atlantic City administrations to save Bader,” said AOPA President Phil Boyer, “but sadly, there was little local interest in the airport.” When the last federal grant expires in September, the airport reverts to private property, leaving the city free to do as it pleases, which is to redevelop the 143 acres within a stone’s throw of boardwalk casinos. “The gambling interests were stronger than the aviation interests,” said Boyer. Ironically, the former head of the New Jersey Aviation Association, Tom Carver, is now executive director of the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, which is offering to pay for studies and consultants to the city to turn the airport into something else. “There’s no desire to retain this as an airport,” Carver told The Courier-Post newspaper. See AOPA

Well, we’ve known that was coming since they built the stadium.

Still a shame though, Bader was one of the first places I flew to from TEB back in the day.

You can practically park the plane in right field of the stadium.

Memories:
Taking off from runway 11 put you right over the casinos a mile away. Very interesting to see people waving from their hotel rooms during climbout on a hot summer day in a warrior.
The shady “line guy/airport manager/customer service” who would make the unaware pay $10 cash for landing there. Dude pocketed the money for sure.
Then there was the dimwit who overran the runway last year in a citation and ended up in the bay.
NTSB report
There was some confusion over whether he was going to Bader or to ACY. Bader is NOTAM’ed “closed to jet aircraft”. Besides that, he landed 1000ft down on a 2950ft runway with a 10kt tailwind. The Danish registration is fitting: “OY-JET”.

I can hear it now on the CVR:
“Hey Olaf, there’s another airport closer to the casinos! THAT must be KACY!”

…gotta wonder what was goin’ through the captain’s mind at touchdown when half the runway was already behind him! I’ll bet he had a “sinking feeling” in his gut!

The tongue of one of the honeys that was aboard based on the results!

What was left out of the report, but was known to all the news agencies after this crash was the fact that there were 2 or 3 late teen/early 20’s babes onboard the airplane. They had apparently gone up to Canada for a few days and then were returning to Atlantic City. Something ‘fishy’ going on there…get it…FISHY!

Bader closure article in today’s Philadelphia Inquirer.

Just received an email from a friend linking to this AMAZING video of the actual crash we were talking about above. Besides the actual over-run caught on tape, the most amazing thing on the video is that after the occupants were removed, the right engine started up all on its own! The airplane floated around in a large circle with the right engine running at what sounds like more than simply idle power.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V06LBgfuxgA

That’s an incredible video son!

All I can say is “Damn!”.

I’ve watched it three times now and I’d almost swear that, after the starboard engine is up and running, you can hear the port engine start to spool up as well!! Doesn’t appear to get running though.

Pop

I hear that other sound too, although I think it might be an emergency vehicle siren “whoop whoop”-ing.

Incredible!

I just saw this video on youtube and then found your posting here. Everyone should watch the first minute then skip to about 4:00 when the real fun begins.

Best part of NTSB report:

Additionally, the airport diagram for Bader Field, was observed attached to the pilot’s control column after the accident. A notation, which read, “airport closed to jet aircraft” was observed on the diagram.