Thorp Airport

The specific reason for closure is not officially documented. However, as a small, privately owned airfield, its closure was most likely due to economic factors. Common reasons for such closures include the high cost of maintenance and insurance, a change in land ownership, the original owner passing away, or a general decline in use that made it no longer viable to operate.

The airport is permanently closed and has been completely dismantled. The land has been reclaimed for agricultural purposes, consistent with the surrounding farmland in Dawson County. High-resolution satellite imagery shows that the former runway area is now indistinguishable from the adjacent fields, with visible crop patterns covering the site. There are no remaining airport structures, such as hangars, sheds, or markings.

Thorp Airport was a small, private airfield with local, rather than national, significance. It was not a military or commercial airport. Its primary function was to support general aviation in a rural, agricultural region. Operations would have included personal transportation for the owner and potentially agricultural aviation services like crop dusting, which is common in West Texas. Aeronautical charts from the 1960s and 1970s show it as a private field with a single, unpaved runway estimated to be around 2,600 feet long. The ICAO code 'US-11056' is a non-standard identifier used in some databases for closed or private fields that never had an official FAA or ICAO designation.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening Thorp Airport. The land is privately owned and has been fully repurposed for agriculture. Given the complete removal of all airport infrastructure and the availability of the nearby Lamesa Municipal Airport (KLJN), there is no practical or economic incentive to re-establish an airfield at this location.