Cape Harrison Airstrip

Lucyville, CA 🇨🇦 Closed Airport

ICAO

CA-0754

IATA

-

Elevation

181 ft

Region

CA-NL

Local Time

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Airport Information

GPS Code: Not available

Local Code: Not available

Location: 54.769627° N, -58.436923° E

Continent: NA

Type: Closed Airport

Terminal Information Not Available
Terminal arrivals and departures are only available for airports with scheduled commercial service and IATA codes.

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Airport Information

Airport Closure Information

Last updated: Jul 25, 2025
Closure Date

Approximately 1961

Reason for Closure

Military Decommissioning. The airstrip was built to serve the Cape Harrison Air Station, a Pinetree Line General Surveillance Radar station operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) and later the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). The entire station was closed in 1961 as the Pinetree Line became technologically obsolete with the advent of Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) and more advanced radar systems like the DEW Line. With the closure of the base, the airstrip was no longer needed for logistical support and was abandoned.

Current Status

The site is abandoned and derelict. Satellite imagery clearly shows the 3,000-foot gravel runway is still visible but is in a severe state of disrepair, overgrown with vegetation, and unusable for any standard aircraft. The foundations and debris from the former military station buildings are scattered nearby. The entire site, including the airstrip, is a designated contaminated site due to leftover hazardous materials from its military operations, such as PCBs, fuel hydrocarbons, and heavy metals. It is not used for any purpose and is only accessible by boat or helicopter.

Historical Significance

The Cape Harrison Airstrip was a critical logistical component of North American air defense during the Cold War. Constructed in the early 1950s, its primary purpose was to facilitate the construction of and provide year-round support for the Cape Harrison Air Station (Pinetree Line Site N-27, callsign 'Lottie'). Due to the site's extreme remoteness and inaccessibility by sea during winter, the gravel airstrip was essential for transporting personnel, supplies, food, and equipment via military transport aircraft like the C-47 Skytrain. It played a direct role in the continental surveillance network designed to detect and intercept Soviet bombers.

Reopening Prospects

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening the Cape Harrison Airstrip. The reasons include: the lack of any local community or industry to serve, the prohibitive cost of environmental remediation of the contaminated site, the extensive reconstruction required to make the runway safe and operational, and its complete lack of strategic or economic purpose in the modern era. Its reopening is considered logistically and financially infeasible.

Nearby Airports

Makkovik Airport
YMN • CYFT
Makkovik, CA
Small Airport Scheduled Service
~59 km away
Rigolet Airport
YRG • CCZ2
Rigolet, CA
Small Airport Scheduled Service
~66 km away
Postville Airport
YSO • CCD4
Postville, CA
Small Airport Scheduled Service
~88 km away
Distances are approximate and calculated as straight-line distances.

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