Hawker Siddeley DH-125-1A accident near Bedford, Indiana, August 2, 1986
On August 2, 1986 at about 11:06 pm local time, a Hawker Siddeley DH-125-1A, registered N50HH, was destroyed in an accident near Bedford, Indiana (Virgil Grissom airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. 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
- August 2, 1986 · about 11:06 pm local time
- Place
- Bedford, Indiana · Virgil Grissom · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Hawker Siddeley DH-125-1A
- Registration
- N50HH · no longer on the register · serial 25022
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT CANCELED IFR 8 MILES FROM THE ARPT TO CONTINUE ON A VISUAL APCH AND LANDING. WITNESSES STATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM HAD JUST PASSED OVER THE ARPT. WIND INFO ISSUED TO THE PLT BY UNICOM WERE WEST AT 20 KTS. WITNESSES OBSERVED THE ACFT APCH RWY 31 AND EXECUTE A GO-AROUND BEFORE TOUCHDOWN. THE ACFT CIRLED LEFT TO A RWY 6 (ALMOST DIRECT DOWNWIND) APCH. TOUCHDOWN OCCURRED ABOUT 2/3 DOWN THE 3100 FT LONG RWY. THE ENGINES WERE HEARD TO SPOOL UP TO HIGH POWER (NO THRUST REVERSERS) BUT THE ACFT DID NOT BECOME AIRBORNE. IT OVERRAN THE RWY INTO ROUGH TERRAIN AND CAUGHT FIRE. INVESTIGATION SHOWED THE LANDING GEAR WAS DOWN, FLAPS WERE AT APCH SETTING AND SPEED BRAKES WERE FULLY DEPLOYED.
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: 6,544 hours in all; 605 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 24,800 lb
- Seats: 9
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls-Royce VIPER 522 (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Fred Bullard & Assoc.
The flight
- Departed from: TOL Toledo OH at 10:08 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 6, 3,100 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 20 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,800 ft; not recorded at 1,800 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.