Cessna 340A accident near Bloomington, Indiana, January 22, 1987
On January 22, 1987 at about 7:25 pm local time, a Cessna 340A, registered N3961G, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bloomington, Indiana (Monroe County airport). It was an executive or corporate flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 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 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
- January 22, 1987 · about 7:25 pm local time
- Place
- Bloomington, Indiana · Monroe County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 340A · all 340As on the register
- Registration
- N3961G · no longer on the register · serial 340A0245
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Executive or corporate flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT RPRTD THAT DRG PREFLT, THERE WAS SNOW ON THE ACFT WHICH WOULD MOVE WITH HAND BRUSHING, SO HE ELECTED NOT TO REMOVE IT. DRG DEPARTURE, AS HE ROTATED THE ACFT TO LIFT-OFF, HE NOTED THE ACFT DID NOT FEEL RIGHT. HE INTENTIONALLY ABORTED THE TAKEOFF, BUT WAS UNABLE TO STOP ON THE REMAINING RWY, WHICH WAS WET. THE ACFT CONTD ONTO A GRASS OVERRUN FOR ABOUT 100 TO 150 FT, THEN WENT OVER A DROP-OFF OF TERRAIN & THE GEAR COLLAPSED.
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; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 15,049 hours in all; 404 in this make and model; 54 in the last 90 days; 15,049 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,645 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 17, 1986; 247 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,290 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental TSIO-520-NB (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Real Air, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: BMG at 7:35 pm
- Destination: IND Indianapolis IN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 35, 5,200 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 10 knots
- Sky: overcast
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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.