Fairchild SA227-AC incident near Bemidji, Minnesota, December 28, 1995
On December 28, 1995 at about 11:48 pm local time, a Fairchild SA227-AC, registered N159MC, was involved in an incident near Bemidji, Minnesota (Bemidji County airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 16 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
inadequate maintenance installation and inspection of the elevator flight control system which led to restricted flight control elevator movement due to a loose bolt.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 28, 1995 · about 11:48 pm local time
- Place
- Bemidji, Minnesota · Bemidji County · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 16 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Fairchild SA227-AC · all SA227-ACs on the register
- Registration
- N159MC · registry record · serial AC-728B
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On short final, the crew noticed that the airplane had restricted up-elevator movement. They initiated a go-around and used power to control pitch for landing. Excessive descent rate and airspeed resulted in a hard landing. Postincident examination revealed a loose upper elevator stop bolt that had contacted a stringer, preventing further movement of the control column. Sixteen flights earlier, maintenance records show extensive work done to the elevator quadrant. During this work, hardware was 'loosely installed' on the quadrant so as to not be lost. The position of a nut run down on the bolt is close to the appearance of a nut properly torqued.
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: 5,600 hours in all; 3,400 in this make and model; 116 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 2,200 as pilot in command; 1,100 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,953 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, December 9, 1995; 104 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 12,000 lb
- Seats: 21
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett 331 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Mesaba Airlines, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: MSP Minneapolis MN at 10:45 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 13, 6,598 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 210° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 14°F (-10°C)
- Observation at 11:34 pm from BJI
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 14 |
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 N159MC 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.