Amateur-built DHC-8-102 incident near Moline, Illinois, April 3, 1995
On April 3, 1995 at about 8:52 pm local time, a amateur-built DHC-8-102, registered N828MA, was involved in an incident near Moline, Illinois. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 20 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the defective weld and the subsequent in flight failure of the welded plug located in the piston of the roll spoiler actuator. The manufacturer's inadequate design is a related factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 3, 1995 · about 8:52 pm local time
- Place
- Moline, Illinois · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 20 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built DHC-8-102
- Registration
- N828MA · no longer on the register · serial 333
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilots reported that during the approach to the destination airport, the left inboard roll spoiler jammed in the partially deployed position. The airplane landed without further incident. Postincident examination revealed that the fusion welded plug in the piston of the roll spoiler servoactuator had separated. The manufacturer reported that there was one previous failure of a welded plug in a servoactuator piston. They have since changed the design of the piston to eliminate the welded plug.
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, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,601 hours in all; 262 in this make and model; 174 in the last 90 days; 78 in the last 30 days; 3,600 as pilot in command; 706 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,849 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 26, 1995; 60 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 34,500 lb
- Seats: 40
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PW120A (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Mesaba Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: MSP Minneapolis MN at 8:38 pm
- Destination: MLI
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 | |||
| Passengers | 17 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N828MA the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.