Ice Airport Alaska

It's mid-winter in Alaska, when temperatures stay locked below freezing for months and snow accumulations reach 80 inches. But at Ted Stevens, the flights continue no matter what Mother Nature brings. In 70 years, the airport has never shut down for bad weather, but a heavy storm, a rookie "snow boss," and broken equipment put their remarkable streak in jeopardy. And to make matters worse, a 5.3 magnitude earthquake shakes the airport, grounding all planes until the safety inspections team can check the area and aircraft for damage.

A multi-million-dollar plane and a multi-million-dollar mission are in jeopardy as Alaska endures another long winter. An issue with the landing gear of a cargo 737 lands the aircraft in Ted Stevens' state-of-art maintenance hangar for a very dangerous repair. North of the airport, "hurricane hunters" from NOAA are in a race to fix their P3 Orion in time to rendezvous with two satellites deep inside the Arctic Circle. Meanwhile, the stakes are high (very) for a helicopter pilot flying building supplies into the tallest mountain range in America.

Arctic conditions, rough terrain, and remote homesteads make landing planes in Alaska a white-knuckled adventure. At Fairbanks International, crews race to clear the runway of snow for an approaching aircraft. In Anaktuvuk Pass, a 75-year-old war plane is used to make a car delivery but first must land on an unprepared frozen ice strip. And back at Ted Stevens, the captain of a 747 sends a distress call. Without wheels to touch down, he may be forced to land his 900,000-pound aircraft on its fuselage while traveling at 170 mph.

Aviation in Alaska is vital, and not just for transportation; with only 20% of the villages connected by road, planes are necessary for cargo and crucial aid deliveries. In this episode, a World War II-era Douglas DC3 flies a life-saving mission to an isolated native Alaskan community without drinking water. Meanwhile, in the Alaska Airlines' hangar, the maintenance crew is dealing with a much more modern aircraft, a 737 with a damaged wing. The replacement part is late, however, and every hour of delay is costing the airline thousands.

During the pandemic, cargo boomed at the Ice Airports, but passenger numbers fell greatly, leading to the grounding of some pilots. To regain his wings, Captain Gerry Moriarty must overcome a series of virtual emergencies in a $12 million flight simulator. Inside Ted Stevens, some very real crises have arrived in the form of an armed, suicidal passenger in the terminal and a suspicious powder at Customs and Border Protection. And at Northern Air Cargo, the race is on to get 72 champion sled dogs to Bethel before a large storm moves in.

After six months of blizzards and freezing temperatures, spring is on the horizon in Alaska, but Mother Nature isn't done with the pilots and crews of the Ice Airports yet. A freak storm threatens to shut down both Fairbanks and Ted Stevens, and just when they think they have the situation under control, the airports are rocked by a massive, 5.9-magnitude earthquake. Other safety emergencies arise in the form of a World War II-era Douglas DC-6 that experiences engine failure and a two-seat Piper Cub that crashes in downtown Anchorage.