Indiana airport to be repaved after planes sank into asphalt

ELKHART, Ind. (AP) - A northern Indiana airport's parking ramp for aircraft will undergo a half-million-dollar repaving job after two jets sank into the asphalt over the summer.

Elkhart city attorney Lawrence Meteiver says the ramp was installed at the Elkhart Municipal Airport last year by the city at a cost of about $50,000.

Indiana Flight Center President Brett Zierle says a 30,000-pound Bombardier Challenger and a 15,500-pound Cessna Citation XLS sank into the asphalt ramp in June on days when the temperature reached only into the 70s.

He says the asphalt is soft and not capable of supporting the weight of those aircraft.

The Elkhart Truth reports that Meteiver says an asphalt mix recommended by the Federal Aviation Administration will be installed after this winter at a cost of about $565,000.

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Information from: The Elkhart Truth, http://www.elkharttruth.com