Fairchild Hiller 227C accident near Bloomington, Indiana, February 21, 1982
On February 21, 1982 at about 6:14 pm local time, a Fairchild Hiller 227C, registered N378NE, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bloomington, Indiana (Monroe County airport). It was a ferry flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. 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 21, 1982 · about 6:14 pm local time
- Place
- Bloomington, Indiana · Monroe County
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Fairchild Hiller 227C
- Registration
- N378NE · no longer on the register · serial 512
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT WAS BEING PRE-POSITIONED FOR A SCHEDULED FLIGHT. DURING A VISUAL APPROACH TO LAND, THE CAPTAIN (PIC) CALLED FOR THE FLAPS TO BE LOWERED IN INCREMENTAL SETTINGS (16.5, 27 & 40 DEG). THE FLAP HANDLE WAS MOVED TO THE APPROPRIATE POSITIONS, BUT REPORTEDLY, NEITHER OF THE PILOTS LOOKED AT THE FLAP INDICATOR. THE PIC STATED THAT DURING THE FLARE, THE AIRCRAFT SETTLED AND CONTACTED THE RUNWAY QUITE HARD. HE IMMEDIATELY LOOKED DOWN AND SAW THE FLAP INDICATOR AT 16.5 DEG, THEN NOTICED THE FLAPS HAD EXTENDED TO 40 DEG. THE COPILOT SAW THE FLAPS AT 30 DEG AND MOVING TO FULL DOWN. DURING TOUCHDOWN, THE FUSELAGE WAS DAMAGED AROUND THE TAIL BUMPER/SKID TO THE LOWER PORTION OF THE PRESSURE BULKHEAD. ON A SUBSEQUENT FLIGHT FOR REPAIR, THE FLAPS OVER-RAN THE UP-LIMIT MICROSWITCH AND THEN WOULD NOT EXTEND. THE AIRCRAFT WAS EQUIPPED WITH A MODEL FPC-75 GROUND PROXIMITY WARNING SYSTEM IN ACCORDANCE WITH STC SA1176CE AND WAS WIRED INTO THE FLAP SELECTOR SWITCH. IT WOULD HAVE PROVIDED A WARNING IF IT HAD DETECTED FLAP PSN.
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; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,775 hours in all; 69 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 18,611 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 300 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 41,450 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls-Royce 532-7 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Britt Airways, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: Bloomington IL at 11:00 am
- Destination: Bloomington IN
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 35
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.