Richards Airport

The specific reason for closure is not documented in public records. However, as a small, privately-owned airfield, the closure was most likely due to private circumstances. Common reasons for such closures include the owner's retirement or passing, the sale of the property, or the land being repurposed for more profitable use, such as the full-scale agriculture now seen on the site. There is no evidence to suggest it was closed due to a specific accident, military conversion, or regulatory action.

The airport is permanently closed and no longer exists. Satellite imagery of the coordinates confirms that the land has been completely converted for agricultural use. A large center-pivot irrigation system now operates directly over the location of the former runway. All traces of airport infrastructure, including any potential hangars or markings, have been removed, and the site is an active farm field.

Richards Airport was a small, private-use airfield. Its historical significance was purely local, serving the agricultural community of Homedale, Idaho. According to the 1982 AOPA directory, it featured a single 2,200-foot unpaved turf runway (Runway 17/35). Operations were limited to light, single-engine aircraft typical for general aviation and agricultural purposes (e.g., crop dusting). It was owned by a D. Richards and primarily supported the farming operations on and around the property, rather than serving as a public transportation hub.

There are no known plans or prospects for reopening Richards Airport. The land has been fully repurposed for agriculture, including the installation of significant irrigation infrastructure that would be costly to remove. Given its status as a long-closed private strip and the complete conversion of the land, the prospect of it ever returning to aviation use is virtually zero.