Beech 1900D incident near Indianapolis, Indiana, May 24, 1996
On May 24, 1996 at about 1:00 am local time, a Beech 1900D, registered N148SK, suffered minor damage in an incident near Indianapolis, Indiana (Indianapolis Intl airport). 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
failure of a forward cabin ventilation blower motor bearing, which resulted in binding of the blower motor; and inadequate design of the electrical system, which allowed overheating of the electrical circuit and smoke in the cabin of the aircraft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 24, 1996 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- Indianapolis, Indiana · Indianapolis Intl · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 20 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Beech 1900D · all 1900Ds on the register
- Registration
- N148SK · registry record · serial UE-148
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Shortly after taking off, the crew of the airplane noted smoke in the cabin, and they returned and landed at the departure airport. Investigation revealed that a bearing in the forward cabin ventilation blower motor had failed. There was evidence that after the bearing had failed, the wires and resistors to the ventilation motor had overheated. The wires were charred and sooted on the blower motor housing. The resistors (for low speed fan operation) showed signs of heat damage. Current limiters were provided to protect the electrical circuit. However, research revealed that the wiring and resistors were not adequately protected in the low speed fan mode.
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 single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,300 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,321 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, May 21, 1996; 22 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 16,950 lb
- Seats: 21
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PT6A-67D (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Astral Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: IND
- Destination: MKE Milwaukee WI
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 5L, 10,005 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 18 |
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 N148SK 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.