Gogebic–Iron County Airport

Gogebic–Iron County Airport
Gogebic–Iron County Airport
	IATA: IWD; ICAO: KIWD; FAA LID: IWD;
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	Gogebic County
Serves	Ironwood, Michigan / Hurley, Wisconsin
Opened	April 1940
Elevation AMSL	1,230 ft / 375 m
Coordinates	46°31′39″N 090°07′53″W / 46.52750°N 90.13139°W
Website	flyfromironwood.com
Map
	IWD Location of airport in Michigan IWD IWD (the United States)
Runways
Statistics (12 months ending December 2024 except where noted)
Passenger volume
Passenger volume	13,940
Departing passengers	7,090
Scheduled flights	627
Cargo (lb.)	0
Aircraft operations (2023)	5,766
Based aircraft (2023)	18
	Sources: FAA, Michigan DOT

Gogebic–Iron County Airport (IATA: IWD, ICAO: KIWD, FAA LID: IWD) is a county-owned public-use airport located seven nautical miles (13 km) northeast of the central business district of Ironwood, a city in Gogebic County, Michigan, United States.^[1] It is mostly used for general aviation, but it also offers scheduled passenger service which is subsidized by the Essential Air Service program.

The airport is included in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2021–2025, in which it is categorized as a non-primary commercial service facility.^[3]

The airport received $30,000 from the US Department of Transportation in 2020 as part of the CARES Act to help it mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.^[4]

Facilities and aircraft

Gogebic–Iron County Airport covers an area of 1,180 acres (478 ha) at an elevation of 1,230 feet (375 m) above mean sea level. It has one runway designated 9/27 with an asphalt surface measuring 6,502 by 100 feet (1,982 by 30 m), with approved ILS, GPS and VOR/DME approaches.^[1] In addition, the Ironwood VORTAC (IWD) navigational facility is located at the field.^[5]

The airport closed for six weeks in 2020 to perform major construction to the airport's single runway. The existing surface was pulverized with underlying base course and a new asphalt surface paved. Lighting and wiring were replaced, and the runway was repainted.^[6]

For the 12-month period ending June 29, 2023, the airport had 5,766 aircraft operations, an average of 16 per day: 62% general aviation, 30% scheduled commercial, 9% air taxi and less than 1% military. In November 2023, there were 18 aircraft based at this airport: 15 single-engine and 3 multi-engine.^[1]^[5]^[7]

The airport operates its own FBO, which offers fuel, a lounge and conference room, and courtesy cars.^[8]

Airline and destinations

Passenger

Airlines	Destinations
Denver Air Connection	Chicago–O'Hare, Minneapolis/St. Paul

Destinations map
Ironwood Chicago–O'Hare Minneapolis/Saint Paul class=notpageimage\| All passenger destinations from Gogebic-Iron County Airport (IWD) Red = Year-round destination Green = Seasonal destination Blue = Future destination Purple = Route ending

Historical airline service

Frontier Express provided service to Rhinelander (RHI), continuing on to Milwaukee (MKE) until March 8, 2012. Great Lakes Airlines began Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP) service on March 17, 2012,^[9] but this was discontinued on January 31, 2014. On April 18, 2014, the DOT awarded a two-year contract to Air Choice One for service to and from Ironwood to Chicago, Illinois (ORD).^[10] Air Choice One began flights to Ironwood on July 7, 2014, and added Minneapolis service in 2016.

Boutique Air service began on August 1, 2020, with service to both Chicago and Minneapolis. Multiple incidents, including a tire falling off an aircraft and a cargo door opening in flight, led the airport board to seek a new air carrier. The board chose to recommend and the DOT approved Denver Air Connection to take over the contract. Service is provided on the 50 seat Embraer E145.^[11]^[12]

Cargo

Airlines	Destinations
Ameriflight	Iron Mountain, Lansing
Freight Runners Express	Iron Mountain, Lansing

Statistics

Carrier shares
(January 2024 – December 2024)^[13]
Carrier	Passengers (arriving and departing)
Denver Air Connection	13,940(100.00%)

Top destinations
(January 2024 – December 2024)^[13]
Rank	Airport	Passengers
1	Chicago–O'Hare, IL	4,650
2	Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN	2,440

Accidents and incidents

On August 14, 2000, a Rockwell Sabreliner 75A crashed into a wooded area northeast of the airport. The flight was en route from Brainerd-Crow Wing County Airport to Flint/Bishop airport. The aircraft reported an emergency during an en route climb due to a dual engine failure caused by a lightning strike. The aircraft was vectored near a level 5 thunderstorm while it attempted to divert to Ironwood. It was later found that, even though they attempted to restart the engines, the pilots never called for the aircraft's checklists, nor did they discuss load shedding any of the electrical components of the aircraft. The pilots lost their navigation at 17,500 feet msl and 12 miles from the airport and eventually crashed. The probable cause was found to be the pilots' continued flight into known adverse weather, their failure to turn on continuous ignition in turbulence, and their failure to follow the proper procedures for an inflight engine restart. The two pilots received fatal injuries, and two additional passengers on board received serious injuries.^[14]
On April 23, 2003, a Maule M-5-210C ground looped and impacted terrain while attempting to land on Runway 27 at IWD. The pilot reported that the tail wheel "shimmied" when he attempted a three-point landing on touchdown, so he pushed forward on the yoke to lift the tail and then subsequently pulled back on the yoke. The pilot noticed he became unaligned with the runway and tried adding full power to go around, but he did not have enough airspeed to lift off before running off the side of the runway. The aircraft impacted a drainage ditch south of the runway. The probable cause of the accident was the pilot's inadvertent ground loop on the runway. The pilot and passenger were uninjured.^[15]
On December 28, 2004, a twin-engine Piper crashed while trying to land at Ironwood. Visibility was reportedly good. The pilot, his wife, and their three daughters were killed.^[16]^[17]
On June 2, 2017 a single-engine aircraft practicing landings at the airport narrowly avoided striking a fawn as it ran across the runway. The pilot veered to avoid the deer and damaged a wheel assembly on the plane. There were no injuries.^[18]
On August 3, 2019, a Piper PA-28 Cherokee originating from IWD crashed on route to Ontonagon County Airport due to flight into adverse weather.^[19]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d FAA Airport Form 5010 for IWD PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. effective November 2, 2023.
^ Michigan Department of Transportation. Measures of Michigan Air Carrier Demand Archived January 29, 2013, at the Wayback Machine, Michigan.gov, Retrieved February 25, 2013
^ "List of NPIAS Airports" (PDF). FAA.gov. Federal Aviation Administration. October 21, 2016. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
^ "USDOT announces nearly $23M for Upper Michigan airports in response to COVID-19". Upper Michigan's Source. April 14, 2020. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
^ ^a ^b "AirNav: KIWD Gogebic-Iron County Airport".
^ "Gogebic-Iron County Airport open". Your Daily Globe. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
^ "IWD – Gogebic/Iroun County Airport". SkyVector Aeronautical Charts. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
^ "Gogebic-Iron County Airport". Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). Retrieved November 7, 2022.
^ DeLuca, Gabriella (February 14, 2012). "Changes for Gogebic–Iron County Airport". UpperMichigansSource.com. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
^ "DOT Awards EAS Contract for Ironwood, MI to Air Choice One". Air Choice One. April 18, 2014. Archived from the original on April 19, 2014. Retrieved April 19, 2014.
^ Globe, The Daily. "DOT approves new airline service". The Daily Globe. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
^ "Gogebic-Iron County Airport Board recommends Denver Air as new air carrier". TV6 UpperMichigansSource. July 23, 2021. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
^ ^a ^b "Ironwood, MI: Gogebic–Iron County (IWD)". Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA), U.S. Department of Transportation. December 2024. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
^ "ASN". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
^ "N9014A accident description". Plane Crash Map. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
^ "Gogebic-Iron County Airport (Ironwood, Gogebic County)". michigan.gov. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
^ "Newspaper Articles About the Accident". Remembrance of the DalPra family. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
^ "Plane narrowly avoids deer at Gogebic-Iron County Airport". WNMU-FM Public Radio. June 3, 2017. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
^ "Piper PA-28-180 Cherokee D, N5167L: Fatal accident occurred August 03, 2019 near Ontonagon County Airport - Schuster Field (KOGM), Michigan". Kathryn's Report. Retrieved November 7, 2022.

Other sources

Essential Air Service documents (Docket Number DOT-OST-1996-1266) from the U.S. Department of Transportation:
- Order 2005-5-14 (May 23, 2005): selecting Skyway Airlines, Inc., d/b/a Midwest Connect, to provide essential air service at Iron Mountain/Kingsford, Michigan, Ironwood, Michigan/Ashland, Wisconsin, and Manistee/Ludington, Michigan, for a two-year period at annual subsidy rates of $602,761, $409,242, and $776,051, respectively ($1,788,054 in total).
- Order 2007-3-21 (March 30, 2007): selecting Great Lakes Aviation, Ltd. to provide subsidized essential air service at Iron Mountain/Kingsford, Michigan, Ironwood, Michigan/Ashland, Wisconsin, Manistee/Lundington, Michigan, and Escanaba, Michigan for the two-year period beginning when the carrier inaugurates full service. The annual subsidy rates will be set at: $797,885 for Iron Mountain/Kingsford, $799,779 for Ironwood/Ashland, $957,978 for Manistee/Ludington, and $617,415 for Escanaba.
- Order 2008-4-10 (April 7, 2008): selecting Great Lakes Aviation, Ltd., to provide subsidized essential air service (EAS) at Ironwood, Michigan/Ashland, Wisconsin, and Manistee/Ludington, Michigan, utilizing 19-seat Beech 1900D aircraft at a combined annual subsidy rate of $3,292,260, for a new two-year term beginning when it inaugurates full service.
- Order 2011-1-16 (January 18, 2011): selecting Chautauqua Airlines, Inc. d/b/a Frontier Airlines, a wholly owned subsidiary of Republic Airways Holdings, Inc., to provide subsidized essential air service (EAS) at Ironwood, Michigan/Ashland, Wisconsin (Ironwood), and Manistee/Ludington, Michigan (Manistee). Service will be provided with 37-seat Embraer 135 aircraft for a two-year period beginning when the carrier inaugurates service through the end of the 24th month thereafter, at a combined annual subsidy rate of $3,082,383.
- Order 2012-3-5 (March 7, 2012): selecting Great Lakes Aviation, Ltd. to provide subsidized Essential Air Service (EAS) at Ironwood, Michigan/Ashland, Wisconsin, and Rhinelander, Wisconsin, for a two-year period beginning when the carrier inaugurates full EAS at both communities through the end of the 24th month thereafter. Great Lakes, utilizing 19-seat Beech 1900D aircraft, will require annual subsidies of $1,410,250 for Rhinelander and $1,747,326 for Ironwood/Ashland. Chautauqua will continue to utilize 37-seat or substitute 50-seat jet aircraft for a short-term annual subsidy rate of $1,837,638.
- Order 2012-9-17 (September 14, 2012): establishing the Essential Air Service (EAS) contract end date at Ironwood, Michigan/Ashland, Wisconsin, as May 31, 2014.
- Order 2014-4-17 (April 18, 2014): selecting Multi-Aero, Inc. d/b/a Air Choice One, to provide Essential Air Service (EAS) at Ironwood, Michigan/Ashland, Wisconsin, using nine-passenger Cessna Grand Caravan or eight-passenger Piper Navajo aircraft to Chicago O'Hare International Airport for three round trips each weekday and weekend (18 total per week), for the two-year term from June 1, 2014, through May 31, 2016, for an annual subsidy of $3,563,394.