Mena Intermountain Municipal Airport | |||||||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||||||
| Owner | City of Mena | ||||||||||||||
| Serves | Mena, Arkansas | ||||||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 1,080 ft / 329 m | ||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 34°32′43″N094°12′10″W / 34.54528°N 94.20278°W /34.54528; -94.20278 | ||||||||||||||
| Website | www | ||||||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||||||
  UMZ/KMEZ/MEZ Location of airport in Arkansas Show map of Arkansas UMZ/KMEZ/MEZ UMZ/KMEZ/MEZ (the United States) Show map of the United States | |||||||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||||||
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| Statistics (2020) | |||||||||||||||
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| Source:Federal Aviation Administration[1] | |||||||||||||||
Mena Intermountain Municipal Airport (IATA:UMZ,ICAO:KMEZ,FAALID:MEZ) is a city-owned, public-useairport located 2 nmi (3.7 km) southeast of thecentral business district ofMena, a city inPolk County,Arkansas,United States.[1] It is included in theNational Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, whichcategorized it as ageneral aviation facility.[2]
Although most U.S. airports use the same three-letterlocation identifier for theFAA andIATA, Mena Intermountain Municipal Airport is assignedMEZ by the FAA[1] andUMZ by the IATA (which assignedMEZ toMessina,South Africa).[3] The airport'sICAO identifier isKMEZ.[4]
Mena Intermountain Municipal Airport covers an area of 667acres (270ha) at anelevation of 1,080 feet (329 m) abovemean sea level. It has tworunways withasphalt surfaces: 9/27 is 5,485 by 100 feet (1,672 x 30 m) and 17/35 is 5,001 by 75 feet (1,524 x 23 m).[1]
For the 12-month period ending January 31, 2020, the airport had 31,000 aircraft operations, an average of 85 per day: 93%general aviation, 5%air taxi, and 2%military. At that time there were 23 aircraft based at this airport: 16 single-engine, 5 multi-engine, 1jet, and 1helicopter.[1]
A number of allegations have been made about the use of Mena Intermountain Municipal Airport as aCIA drop point in large scalecocaine trafficking, beginning in the latter part of the 1980s. Several local, state, and federal investigations have taken place in relation to these allegations. The topic has received some press coverage that has included allegations of awareness, participation and/or coverup involving prominent figures such asReagan administration officials, then governorBill Clinton[5][6] and Saline County prosecutor Dan Harmon (who was convicted of numerous felonies including drug and racketeering charges in 1997[7]).
Attempts were made to investigate by both state and federal level law enforcement, however these efforts were frustrated.[8]
An investigation by the CIA's inspector general concluded that the CIA had no involvement in or knowledge of any illegal activities that may have occurred in Mena. The report said that the agency had conducted a training exercise at the airport in partnership with another federal agency and that companies located at the airport had performed "routine aviation-related services on equipment owned by the CIA".[9][10]
