President's Cargo Plane Ruined Las Cruces Strip Two Years Ago

They were told not to do it, but the crew of an Air Force C-17 transport said they had permission from a higher power, and managed to tear up runway 4-22 in Las Cruces, NM two years ago. Now, the Air Force has agreed to help pay for repairs.

The crew of the giant C-17 Globemaster II, were part of President Bush's entourage during a campaign swing during the 2004 election season. The plane was loaded down with heavy cargo including black limousines and Hummers the president used in his motorcade.

The transport, along with a C-32 (an Air Force version of the Boeing 757) and two C-130s did land successfully on the 7,499 foot runway at Las Cruces International Airport in New Mexico, despite the fact that the two jets were well over the gross weight limit specified for the runway surface.

When the Globemaster taxied back onto the runway, it backed up in order to put more runway in front of it. In the heat of the afternoon, the heavily laden plane created two- inch deep ruts extending 2500 feet down the now softened runway 22, rendering that landing strip unusable. The runway, the longest and preferred strip at the airport, has been closed ever since.

The city and the Air Force had been sparring about repairing the runway, and this week, the city of Las Cruces agreed to accept around $600,000  to begin reconstruction. This is considerably less than the $2.1 million that several airport experts estimated it would cost to make the runway whole.

The city will start accepting bids October 22 and will award the contract at its Dec. 18 meeting. It is likely that even the lowest bid will be far in excess of what the city has received from the Air Force, according to the Las Cruces Sun-News. If that's the case, local taxpayers will have to cover the difference.

Repairs will begin next January and are expected to take several months.

www.las-cruces.org/airport