Eareckson Air Station

Eareckson Air Station Shemya Air Force Base Shemya Army Airfield
Color oblique airphoto of Shemya Island, with Eareckson AS visible on the southeast corner of the island.
IATA: SYA ICAO: PASY WMO: 70414
Summary
Airport type	Military
Operator	U.S. Air Force
Location	Shemya, Alaska
Built	1943
Elevation AMSL	98 ft / 30 m
Coordinates	52°42′44″N 174°06′49″E / 52.71222°N 174.11361°E / 52.71222; 174.11361Coordinates: 52°42′44″N 174°06′49″E / 52.71222°N 174.11361°E / 52.71222; 174.11361
Map
SYA Location of airport in Alaska
Runways
Direction Length Surface ft m 10/28 10,004 3,049 Asphalt/Grooved

Eareckson Air Station (IATA: SYA, ICAO: PASY), formerly Shemya Air Force Base, is a United States Air Force military airport located on the island of Shemya, in the Alaskan Aleutian Islands.

The airport was closed as an active Air Force Station on 1 July 1994. However, it is still owned by the USAF and is operated by the USAF 611th Air Support Squadron at Elmendorf AFB for refueling purposes. It also serves as a diversion airport for civilian aircraft. The base previously hosted the AN/FPS-17 and AN/FPS-80 radars and since 1977 the more powerful AN/FPS-108 COBRA DANE phased-array radar.

Eareckson Air Station is located on the western tip of Alaska's Aleutian islands near the larger island of Attu, and is located approximately 1500 miles southwest of Anchorage. The airport lies on the south side of the 2-mile by 4-mile island and is 98 feet above mean sea level.

Shemya has been the scene of two major earthquakes. The first earthquake, measuring 8.6 on the Richter scale, occurred on 3 February 1965. It was followed by severe aftershocks and a tsunami. Damage, however, was limited to cracks in the taxiways. The other earthquake, measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale, occurred on 1 February 1975, with a high degree of damage to the runways and hangars. Communications were disrupted for a short time.

Eareckson Air Station has one runway: