Fairchild SA227-AC N159MC
28 December 1995 · Bemidji, Minnesota, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 28 December 1995 at about 23:48 local time, a Fairchild SA227-AC registered N159MC, operated by Mesaba Airlines, Inc., was involved in an incident near Bemidji, Minnesota, United States. 16 people were on board and nobody was injured. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 23:48
- Classification
- Incident
- Location
- Bemidji, Minnesota, United States
- Nearest airport
- Bemidji County (BJI)
- Coordinates
- 47.4800, -94.8696
- Aircraft
- Fairchild SA227-AC
- Registration
- N159MC
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Mesaba Airlines, Inc.
- Operating rule
- Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Minneapolis → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Not recorded
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Dusk
- NTSB number
- CHI96IA066
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
Probable cause
inadequate maintenance installation and inspection of the elevator flight control system which led to restricted flight control elevator movement due to a loose bolt.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
On short final, the crew noticed that the airplane had restricted up-elevator movement. They initiated a go-around and used power to control pitch for landing. Excessive descent rate and airspeed resulted in a hard landing. Postincident examination revealed a loose upper elevator stop bolt that had contacted a stringer, preventing further movement of the control column. Sixteen flights earlier, maintenance records show extensive work done to the elevator quadrant. During this work, hardware was 'loosely installed' on the quadrant so as to not be lost. The position of a nut run down on the bolt is close to the appearance of a nut properly torqued.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Fairchild SA227 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Feb 1995 | Fairchild SA227-AC | Austin, Texas, United States | Conquest Airlines | No injuries | - |
| 17 May 1995 | Fairchild SA227-AC | Spokane, Washington, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 17 Nov 1994 | Fairchild SA227 | Missoula, Montana, United States | Horizon Airlines | No injuries | - |
| 11 Jun 1996 | Fairchild SA227-DC | Enid, Oklahoma, United States | Lone Star Airlines | No injuries | - |
| 2 Apr 1993 | Fairchild SA227-TT | Blountville, Tennessee, United States | - | Fatal | 4 |
| 5 Jan 1997 | Fairchild SA227-AC | Bullhead City, Arizona, United States | FNG Aviation Inc | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Feb 1995 | Piper PA-23-250 | Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States | AB Flight Services | No injuries | - |
| 18 Feb 1995 | Cessna 180J | Cotton, Minnesota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 6 Mar 1995 | Beechcraft 1900 | Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States | Great Lakes Aviation, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 17 Mar 1995 | Cessna 185 | Baudette, Minnesota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 16 Mar 1995 | Piper PA-32-300 | Lakeville, Minnesota, United States | Richard Knutson | No injuries | - |
| 5 Feb 1995 | Cessna 172 | Nevis, Minnesota, United States | - | No injuries | - |