Fairchild F-27 incident near Champaign, Illinois, March 20, 1985
On March 20, 1985 at about 8:40 pm local time, a Fairchild F-27, registered N386BA, suffered minor damage in an incident near Champaign, Illinois. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 5 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 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
- March 20, 1985 · about 8:40 pm local time
- Place
- Champaign, Illinois · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Fairchild F-27 F27
- Registration
- N386BA · registry record · serial 22
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING ENGINE START A FUEL LINE RUNNING BETWEEN THE FUEL PUMP AND THE DIFFERENTIAL PRESSURE SWITCH RUPTURED AND CAUSED A SMALL FIRE. THE CREW OBSERVED A FIRE WARNING LIGHT,ABORTED THE START PROCEDURE AND ACTIVATED THE FIRE EXTINGUI SHING SYSTEM WHICH PUT THE FIRE OUT. AN ANALYSIS OF THE BRAIDED LINE REVEALED THAT IT COULD NOT BE IDENTIFIED AS HAVING BEEN MANUFACTURED BY THE COMPANY THAT PRODUCES ORIGINAL FUEL LINES FOR THAT ENGINE. THE AIRCRAFT HAD BEEN RECENTLY ACQUIRED FROM A FOREIGN AIR CARRIER AFTER MANY YEARS OF SERVICE OVERSEAS. IT WAS THE OPINION OF THE TECHNICIANSPERFORMING THE ANALYSIS THAT THE DAMAGE THAT WEAKENED THE LINE DID NOT OCCUR WHILE THE LINE WAS INSTALLED ON THE INCIDENT ENGINE, BUT RATHER AT AN EARLIER TIME, POSSIBLY WHEN THE LINE WAS INSTALLED ON ANOTHER DIFFERENT.
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
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 42,000 lb
- Seats: 48
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls-Royce DART 511 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Britt Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: CMI
- Destination: HUF Terre Haute IN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:45 pm from CMI
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 | |||
| 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.