Beech 200 incident near Birmingham, Alabama, February 9, 1982
On February 9, 1982 at about 1:00 pm local time, a Beech 200, registered N205SG, was involved in an incident near Birmingham, Alabama (Birmingham Muni airport). It was an executive or corporate flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 10 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 9, 1982 · about 1:00 pm local time
- Place
- Birmingham, Alabama · Birmingham Muni · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 10 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Beech 200 · all 200s on the register
- Registration
- N205SG · registry record · serial BB 826
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Executive or corporate flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE CLIMBING THRU 500 FT AGL ON TAKEOFF, THE MANUAL PITCH TRIM STRUCK AT 1 OR 2 UNITS NOSE UP. USE OF THE THREE TRIM DISCONNECT SWITCHES DID NOT REMEDY THE PROBLEM. ABOUT 30 SECS LATER, THE PITCH TRIM RAN AWAY NOSE UP AND WOULD NOT STOP UNTIL THE PITCH TRIM CIRCUIT BREAKER WAS PULLED. MANUAL TRIM REMAINED INOP. THE PROBLEM CLEARED UP 2 OR 3 MINS LATER. SUBSEQUENT INVESTIGATION DISCLOSED EVIDENCE OF THE MANUAL PITCH TRIM CHAIN BINDING ON A STRINGER IN THE PEDESTAL. NO OTHER MALFUNCTIONS WERE IDENTIFIED. THE AIRCRAFT HAD A HISTORY OF MALFUNCTIONING MANUAL PITCH TRIM.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,100 hours in all; 814 in this make and model; 6,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 596 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 16 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 12,500 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A-41 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Birmingham AL
- Destination: Jackson MS
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 400 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 8 |
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.