Mason City Municipal Airport

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Mason City Municipal Airport
IATA: MCW – ICAO: KMCW MCW Location of Mason City Municipal Airport
Summary
Airport type		Public
Operator		Mason City
Location		Mason City, Iowa
Elevation AMSL		1,213 ft / 369.7 m
Coordinates		43°09′28″N 93°19′53″W / 43.15778°N 93.33139°W / 43.15778; -93.33139Coordinates: 43°09′28″N 93°19′53″W / 43.15778°N 93.33139°W / 43.15778; -93.33139
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	ft	m
12/30	5,502	1,677	Asphalt
18/36	6,501	1,982	Asphalt

Mason City Municipal Airport (IATA: MCW, ICAO: KMCW) is a public airport located in the northern part of Lake Township, five miles (8 km) west of the central business district (CBD) of Mason City and just northeast of Clear Lake, both cities in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, USA. The airport covers 1,102 acres (446 ha) and has two runways. It is mostly used for general aviation, but is also served by one commercial airline, Delta Connection (operated by Mesaba Airlines) providing service from Mason City to Minneapolis/St. Paul. Service is subsidized by the Essential Air Service program. Great Lakes Airlines previously served the airport without funding from the Essential Air Service programme, the airline flew direct to Chicago O'Hare up until October 28th, 1998. They pulled out service due to be unable to compete with Mesaba Airlines then 6x daily flights to Minneapolis/St. Paul.

The airport was founded in 1927 by the Mason City Chamber of Commerce and the Clausen-Worden Post of the American Legion, hence its airport code "MCW".

In the early morning hours of February 3, 1959, following a concert at the Surf Ballroom in nearby Clear Lake, musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, along with pilot Roger Peterson, died in a plane crash after taking off from the Mason City Municipal Airport. This event is not commemorated anywhere on the airport grounds.

Airlines and destinations

Top destinations

Rank	City	Passengers	Carriers
1	Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN	36,500	Great Lakes Airlines

Accidents and Incidents

-22 August 1954, Braniff Airlines flight 4630 Douglas DC-3 crashed south of Mason City Municipal Airport after departing Waterloo Regional Airport in nearby Waterloo, Iowa. The aircraft crashed after entering a thunderstorm at a low altitude. 12 of 19 passengers died.

-3 February 1959, In the early morning hours of February 3, 1959, following a concert at the Surf Ballroom in nearby Clear Lake, Iowa, musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, along with pilot Roger Peterson, died after the Beechcraft Bonanza they were flying in crashed after taking off from the Mason City Municipal Airport.

References

• FAA Airport Master Record for MCW (Form 5010 PDF)
• www.flymcw.com [1] (Mason City Municipal Airport website)

External links

• FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective 5 April 2012
• Resources for this airport:
  • AirNav airport information for KMCW
  • ASN accident history for MCW
  • FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
  • NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart, Terminal Procedures

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