Ice Airport Alaska

Ted Stevens International Airport is situated in the coldest, wildest state in America, and when winter approaches, it only gets colder and wilder. Bear and bird activity ramps up before the big freeze, giving wildlife managers all they can handle to keep the runways and airspace clear. And the season's first blizzard gives the airfield maintenance crew a taste of what's to come in the following months. See how the expert teams of workers keep the airport open and the traffic moving, on the runway, in the terminal, and in the sky.

The Sunday after Thanksgiving is the busiest day of the year at airports across America, but Ted Stevens International in Anchorage (ACN) presents several added challenges. It's remote, the weather is extreme, and so is the local wildlife. Follow the airport's hardworking staff--in the terminal and on the tarmac--as they spend the day taking on snowstorms, lightning strikes, and even birds of prey, all while welcoming through 187 cargo planes, 241 commercial jets, and thousands of passengers (including one North Pole celebrity).

In the depths of winter, Ted Stevens Airport in Anchorage operates in the dark for up to 19 hours a day, so its state-of-the-art lighting system is vital to keep planes moving. Without it, air traffic shuts down. Follow the airport's electrician foreman and his team as they race to fix a string of 60 runway lights that have gone out. Then head to the busiest seaplane base in the world, where pilots fly more than 150 missions a day into the Alaskan wilderness, always at risk of being stranded in temperatures as low as -35 degrees.

Ted Stevens Airport (ANC) is about to make history in a way no one could have anticipated. They are awaiting the first flight of American evacuees arriving from the coronavirus-plagued city of Wuhan, China. The North Terminal has been locked. Somehow, they must screen 201 potentially infected passengers while keeping operations running normally. Add on a damaging three-day snowstorm and a daring, first-ever attempt to airlift a small plane by helicopter, and it makes for a blizzard of challenges for the men and woman of the "Ice Airport."

Every year, up to six million tons of snow fall at Ted Stevens International Airport (ANC) in winter, and this season, there are no signs of the bad weather letting up. The airfield clearing team has been working 24/7 to keep the runways open during a storm that would shut down other airports in minutes. Witness the precisely choreographed dance of multi-million-dollar machinery used to plow potentially lethal ice and snow and to clear the 6,000 lights and high tech instrument landing systems so pilots can safely land their planes.

Winter is nearly over in Alaska, but at Ted Stevens International Airport (ANC), spring seems a long way off. Snow is falling at an inch an hour and even with $40 million dollars' worth of equipment, the airfield maintenance crew is struggling to stay on top of the blizzard and keep the runways operational. The airport is also experiencing white-out conditions, which play a role in a de-icing truck flipping over. It's an accident that could release a 2,000-gallon cocktail of hazardous chemicals and diesel fuel unless it is quickly contained.

It's mid-winter in Alaska, when temperatures stay locked below freezing for months and snow accumulations reach 80 inches. But at Ted Stevens, the flights continue no matter what Mother Nature brings. In 70 years, the airport has never shut down for bad weather, but a heavy storm, a rookie "snow boss," and broken equipment put their remarkable streak in jeopardy. And to make matters worse, a 5.3 magnitude earthquake shakes the airport, grounding all planes until the safety inspections team can check the area and aircraft for damage.

A multi-million-dollar plane and a multi-million-dollar mission are in jeopardy as Alaska endures another long winter. An issue with the landing gear of a cargo 737 lands the aircraft in Ted Stevens' state-of-art maintenance hangar for a very dangerous repair. North of the airport, "hurricane hunters" from NOAA are in a race to fix their P3 Orion in time to rendezvous with two satellites deep inside the Arctic Circle. Meanwhile, the stakes are high (very) for a helicopter pilot flying building supplies into the tallest mountain range in America.

Arctic conditions, rough terrain, and remote homesteads make landing planes in Alaska a white-knuckled adventure. At Fairbanks International, crews race to clear the runway of snow for an approaching aircraft. In Anaktuvuk Pass, a 75-year-old war plane is used to make a car delivery but first must land on an unprepared frozen ice strip. And back at Ted Stevens, the captain of a 747 sends a distress call. Without wheels to touch down, he may be forced to land his 900,000-pound aircraft on its fuselage while traveling at 170 mph.

Aviation in Alaska is vital, and not just for transportation; with only 20% of the villages connected by road, planes are necessary for cargo and crucial aid deliveries. In this episode, a World War II-era Douglas DC3 flies a life-saving mission to an isolated native Alaskan community without drinking water. Meanwhile, in the Alaska Airlines' hangar, the maintenance crew is dealing with a much more modern aircraft, a 737 with a damaged wing. The replacement part is late, however, and every hour of delay is costing the airline thousands.

During the pandemic, cargo boomed at the Ice Airports, but passenger numbers fell greatly, leading to the grounding of some pilots. To regain his wings, Captain Gerry Moriarty must overcome a series of virtual emergencies in a $12 million flight simulator. Inside Ted Stevens, some very real crises have arrived in the form of an armed, suicidal passenger in the terminal and a suspicious powder at Customs and Border Protection. And at Northern Air Cargo, the race is on to get 72 champion sled dogs to Bethel before a large storm moves in.

After six months of blizzards and freezing temperatures, spring is on the horizon in Alaska, but Mother Nature isn't done with the pilots and crews of the Ice Airports yet. A freak storm threatens to shut down both Fairbanks and Ted Stevens, and just when they think they have the situation under control, the airports are rocked by a massive, 5.9-magnitude earthquake. Other safety emergencies arise in the form of a World War II-era Douglas DC-6 that experiences engine failure and a two-seat Piper Cub that crashes in downtown Anchorage.

Passenger numbers at Ted Stevens International Airport are up by 93%, but a freak storm is about to throw Christmas into chaos; at Fairbanks International Airport a 737 is forced to dock for the night and is in danger of freezing over.

Witnessing wild weather, emergency landings, animal invaders, and pandemic panics at Alaska's Ted Stevens Airport (ANC).

The crews at the Ice Airports must handle a premature birth, the theft of an ancient treasure and the arrival of a lost military hero.

A chronicle of the daily challenges of the airport staff who manage to keep the facility open, freight flowing and passengers flying all despite weather that regularly dips to -36 degrees and wind speeds that typically exceed 100 mph.  

Military pilots perform a midair helicopter refueling, a veteran mechanic must fix the engine of a charter bound for the Arctic, and a cargo plane makes an emergency landing over Anchorage.

A husband-and-wife flight crew pulls off a difficult landing on a remote island, a helicopter pilot races against time to rescue a stranded plane, and a pilot-in-training faces a major test.  

[EPG Series] Witness wild weather, emergency landings, animal invaders, and pandemic panics at Alaska's Ted Stevens Airport (ANC).

A chopper flies a group of adrenaline junkies into the danger zone of Alaska's mountains

A suspected toxic leak grounds a 737 at Anchorage International, engine trouble endangers the mid-air refueling of the USAF's most advanced fighter jet in Alaska, and a discovery at airport customs busts a potential smuggling.

A national snowstorm brings US aviation to a standstill, but Anchorage fights through the storm. USAF aircrews endure the toughest survival training on Alaska's North Slope, and a veteran aircraft flies life-saving carge.

A family-run airline flies emergency supplies to a remote village hit by water pollution. Alaska's biggest cargo airline loads high explosives on a busy runway, and Anchorage's elite pilots come to the rescue of a holiday party.

Record-breaking snow in Anchorage could shut the airport. A novice pilot tests his nerve landing on a frozen lake. USAF aircrews battle the toughest Arctic survival training and a unique aircraft workshop Alaska-proofs a vintag.

Hurricane Hunters fly into a storm to save lives in Alaska's bush. A rookie chopper pilot faces dangerous winds, snowstorms threaten vital combat training for USAF in the Arctic Circle.

Travelers from Anchorage get stranded halfway to an island in the Bering Sea, extreme skaters fly into the wilderness in search of Wild Ice, and Alaska's premium cargo airline fights to deliver a team of huskies.

Alaska's aviators fly into the wild for the world's toughest snowmobile race, Anchorage mechanics wrestle with a damaged 737's jet engine, and scientists take to the air to fight back against floods devastating remote communities. 

A bush plane resupply mission nearly ends in disaster, veterinarians brave winter storms to bring canine care to a remote village, and U.S. Air Force personnel train over the Alaskan tundra.

A 747 mayday triggers an emergency on Anchorage runways. A young aviator learns to fly to feed her village, military pilots navigate Alaska's icy peaks to be combat-ready, and an extreme surfer flies high to find waves at America.

A bar owner takes flight on an Alaskan beer run, engineers work to clear a cargo plane of corrosion, a retired 727 finds a new home, and mechanics rid a bush plane's wing of a rat's nest.

A trainee chopper pilot tackles a mid-air engine shutdown. Bush pilots face a high-altitude test on an aerial grocery run. The US Army in Alaska launch their biggest helicopter deployment ever, and an Artic-sports phenom flies. 

Scientists fly to save Anchorage from avalanche destruction. Border agents stop a potential insect invasion at Anchorage International. A bush pilot flies explosive cargo for a village festival.

A DC-6 flies into fuel-freezing weather to deliver vital medicine. A rookie Coast Guard rescue swimmer faces his final helicopter test.

Two pilots try and build a bush plane from 70-year-old designs. The Army gets its big guns airborne to protect America's north. Hurricane-force winds threaten Anchorage International, and NASA scientists blast off from Alaska.

A pilot races to fly food to a homesteader. Entrepreneurs reviving a 1940's airframe land on ice to prove it can be the future of bush flying. Trainee plane mechanics face a crucial test, and an airport night guardian calls time.

The Coast Guard flies a twelve-ton fuel truck to keep a remote base operational, An athlete flies to a dangerous airport for a glacier race. Fairbanks crews fight an avian invasion, and after a decade in a museum, a Grumman Goo.

A damaged plane plunges Anchorage Airport into an emergency. A leak on a Coast Guard helicopter jeopardizes emergency cover. Rain turns the Fairbanks runways into ice rinks, and a dog-sled racing prodigy flies with furry teammates.

A father and son team of bush aviators flies a NASA expedition into the wilderness. A rookie airline pilot attempts a landing on a remote island. A seaplane mechanic starts a helicopter repair business, and customs agents.

Valentine's day delays loom when a squadron of F22 makes an unexpected landing; high winds threaten a helicopter's 600lb sling load; Aviators come to the rescue of a village without water.

Customs agents intercept a grenade launcher smuggled into the U.S.; a blizzard threatens to cut off a remote island airport; warm winter weather turns a village runway to mud.

Bush aviators push the limit of their plane to deliver a two-ton generator. In Fairbanks, slippery runways threaten The International Ice Carving Championship and a high-tech airframe inspection on a Boeing 737 uncovers a potential issue.

The first fly-by-wire helicopter is put through its paces, as test pilots harness freezing temperatures. In Anchorage, a jet is lifted for repairs, In Telkeetna, pilots fight ice to deliver supplies to a homesteader's cabin in a remote area.

A wolverine overcomes first-time flyer's nerves to travel to a new home. A helicopter pilot hunts for a showstopping ice cave. An 80-year-old cargo plane flies into the Arctic, and a wall of arctic fog threatens the airport with a shutdown.

A heavy hauling helicopter flies across the frozen Bering Sea to the tiny island of Little Diomede, just 2.4 miles from Russia. At Fort Wainwright the Arctic Angels prepare for a medevac mission and a veteran bush pilot tests his flying skills