Lathan Strip

The specific reason is not officially documented. However, for a small, privately-owned turf airfield like Lathan Strip, closure is typically due to the owner's personal decision. Common reasons include the sale of the land for redevelopment or agriculture, the owner's retirement from aviation, death of the owner, or the rising costs and liability associated with maintaining an active runway. There is no evidence to suggest it was closed due to a major accident, military conversion, or commercial economic failure.

The airport is permanently closed and is not registered with the FAA. However, recent satellite imagery shows that the physical outline of the grass runway is still clearly visible and appears to be well-maintained and mowed. The land remains a private, rural property consisting of fields and woods, located just west of Lathan Road. While the runway's ghost is present, the site is not used for any official aviation purposes and there are no hangars or other airport facilities remaining.

Lathan Strip was a private general aviation airfield that served the local aviation community in Union County, North Carolina, for nearly 30 years. First appearing on charts in the mid-1960s, it featured a single 2,600-foot unpaved turf runway aligned north-south (Runway 18/36). Its operations were limited to light, single-engine aircraft (e.g., Cessna, Piper) capable of using a short, soft-field runway. The name strongly indicates it was owned by the Lathan family on whose property it was situated. Its significance was purely local, providing a convenient landing area for the owner and potentially other local pilots.

None. There are no known plans or prospects to reopen Lathan Strip. Given that it has been officially closed and absent from aviation charts for three decades, the regulatory, legal, and financial hurdles to re-establish it as a certified airfield would be substantial. The land remains in private hands, and its future use is at the discretion of the landowner.