Cape Peel, CA 🇨🇦 Closed Airport
CA-0778
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- ft
CA-NU
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Loading...GPS Code: Not available
Local Code: Not available
Location: 69.044722° N, -107.325833° E
Continent: NA
Type: Closed Airport
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Circa 1989. The site ceased operations as part of the phased shutdown of the DEW Line system, which was fully replaced by the North Warning System by 1993.
Military modernization and technological obsolescence. The Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line, designed to detect Soviet bombers, was replaced by the more advanced and automated North Warning System (NWS). The NWS utilized superior radar technology that required fewer sites, making smaller auxiliary 'gap filler' stations like Cape Peel redundant. The closure was a direct result of a strategic shift in continental air defense technology and not due to a specific accident, local economic factors, or environmental incident.
The site is abandoned, decommissioned, and has undergone extensive environmental remediation. After its closure, the station, like other DEW Line sites, was found to have significant environmental contaminants, including PCBs, lead, asbestos, and fuel spills. As part of the multi-decade, billion-dollar DEW Line Clean-Up Project managed by the Canadian Department of National Defence, all buildings at Cape Peel were demolished, hazardous materials were removed, and contaminated soil was treated or excavated. The land has been restored to a near-natural state. The former airstrip (CA-0778) remains as a visible scar on the tundra but is unmaintained, not certified for use, and considered closed and unusable for any aviation purposes.
Cape Peel DEW Line Station, designated with the site code CAM-B, was a critical component of the Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line, a joint US-Canadian network of radar stations built during the height of the Cold War. Constructed between 1955 and 1957, it served as an auxiliary station in the Cambridge Bay (CAM-Main) sector. Its primary mission was to provide continuous radar surveillance of the Arctic airspace, filling coverage gaps between the larger main stations to detect and provide early warning of a potential Soviet air attack over the polar region. The 3,200-foot gravel airstrip was vital for the station's existence, facilitating the initial construction and the ongoing logistical support required to operate in such a remote location. It handled regular flights of supply aircraft (such as the Douglas C-47 Skytrain/Dakota) that brought in personnel, food, fuel, and equipment.
There are no known plans or prospects for reopening the Cape Peel airstrip. Its original military purpose is obsolete. The location is extremely remote with no permanent population or significant economic activity (such as mining or tourism) to justify the immense cost of rebuilding, certifying, and maintaining an airport in the harsh Arctic environment. The site has been officially remediated and returned to nature.
This was a Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line station until 1963. The runway outline is still visible.