De Havilland DHC-8-311 N430AW
24 February 1997 · Rapid City, South Dakota, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 24 February 1997 at about 13:36 local time, a De Havilland DHC-8-311 registered N430AW, operated by Mesa Airlines, was involved in an incident near Rapid City, South Dakota, United States. 45 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 13:36
- Classification
- Incident
- Location
- Rapid City, South Dakota, United States
- Coordinates
- 44.0706, -103.2292
- Aircraft
- De Havilland DHC-8-311
- Registration
- N430AW
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Mesa Airlines
- Operating rule
- Part 121: Air Carrier
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → Denver
- Aircraft damage
- Not recorded
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CHI97IA074
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45 |
Probable cause
a missing 'C' clip, which resulted in the master link coming apart, allowing the electric elevator trim chain and cable to become entangled in the elevator trim cables.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The captain said that he engaged the airplane's autopilot while passing through 10,000 feet mean sea level (msl). About 10 minutes later, the crew noticed illumination of a 'PITCH MISTRIM, TRIM NOSE DOWN' annunciator light. The captain attempted to trim the airplane using the manual elevator trim, but it would allow only limited movement. The crew declared an emergency, returned to Rapid City, and landed the airplane without further incident. A postincident inspection of the aft fuselage compartment revealed that one of the two master links (which held the chain and cable assembly to the electric elevator trim system) had come apart. The chain had subsequently entangled itself in the elevator trim cables. Further examination revealed that the 'C' clip (which snaps to the two posts of the master link base plate and held the master link cover plate in place) was missing.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other De Havilland DHC-8 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Feb 1997 | De Havilland DHC-8-102 | Romulus, Michigan, United States | Mesaba Airlines | No injuries | - |
| 22 Jan 1997 | De Havilland DHC-8-102 | Charleston, West Virginia, United States | Mesaba Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 26 Mar 1997 | De Havilland DHC-8 | Wenatchee, Washington, United States | Horizon Airlines, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 16 Dec 1996 | De Havilland DHC-8 | Honolulu, Hawaii, United States | Aloha Islandair Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 3 Apr 1995 | De Havilland DHC-8-102 | Moline, Illinois, United States | Mesaba Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 1 Aug 1994 | De Havilland DHC-8-311 | Washington, District of Columbia, United States | Atlantic Coast Airlines | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Aug 1997 | Cessna A188B | Britton, South Dakota, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 1 Sep 1997 | Piper PA-22 | Castlewood, South Dakota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 10 Aug 1997 | Grumman American AA-5 | Lower Brule, South Dakota, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 28 Sep 1997 | Cessna 172P | Yankton, South Dakota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 18 Oct 1997 | Bellanca 7GCBC | Rapid City, South Dakota, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 18 Apr 1997 | Air Tractor AT-401 | Highmore, South Dakota, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |