Amateur-built Ironsides accident near East Troy, Wisconsin, November 24, 2012
On November 24, 2012 at about 9:24 pm local time, a amateur-built Ironsides, registered N1879, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near East Troy, Wisconsin (East Troy Estates Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Failure of the steel weld fittings on the right main landing gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 24, 2012 · about 9:24 pm local time
- Place
- East Troy, Wisconsin · East Troy Estates Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Ironsides XS-1
- Registration
- N1879 · no longer on the register · serial 1
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the landing roll, the right landing gear steel fitting welds broke, and the axle, brake, wheel, and wheel fairing separated from the airplane. The right landing gear strut dug into the sod and the airplane cartwheeled, coming to rest inverted in the center of the runway. The left wing separated from the airplane, and the vertical and horizontal stabilizers were crushed. No other anomalies were found that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Aircraft structural failure during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Fuselage › Gear attach fittings (on fus) › Failure
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Owner/builder
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,000 hours in all; 990 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: May 21, 2011
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 991 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, November 17, 2012; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,125 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-200-A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: WI69 East Troy WI at 8:00 pm
- Destination: WI69 East Troy WI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 01, 1,700 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.