Convair 440 accident near Jasper, Alabama, December 16, 1984
On December 16, 1984 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Convair 440, registered N44828, was destroyed in an accident near Jasper, Alabama (Walker County airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 2 people were seriously injured; 37 others were unhurt. 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
- December 16, 1984 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Jasper, Alabama · Walker County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured; 37 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Convair 440 · all 440s on the register
- Registration
- N44828 · no longer on the register · serial 468
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
SHORTLY AFTER CLIMBING & LEVELING AT 6000 FT, THE R ENG BMEP GAGE INDICATED A RAPID POWER LOSS & THE R ENG RPM 'INCREASED OUT OF CONTROL' TO ABOUT 3100 RPM. THE AIRCREW RETARDED THE R THROTTLE & REDUCED THE R ENG TO 2100 PRM BY USING THE PROP INCREASE/DECREASE TOGGLE SW. THE AIRCREW WERE UNABLE TO FEATHER THE R PROP OR MAINTAIN ALT, SO THEY DIVERTED TO THE NEAREST ARPT (WALKER COUNTY). WHILE TURNING DOWNWIND FOR RWY 9, THE R ENG FIRE INDICATOR ACTIVATED & THE COPLT CONFIRMED A FIRE. BOTH FIRE BOTTLES WERE DISCHARGED & THE R PROP STOPPED ROTATING. INJECTION WATER FOR THE L ENG WAS EXHAUSTED & THE L ENG BEGAN BACKFIRING. THE CAPTAIN THEN MANEUVERED & LANDED ON RWY 27. AFTER TOUCHDOWN, THE R MAIN TIRES FAILED, THE ACFT VEERED OFF THE R SIDE OF THE RWY & HIT A DITCH & THE GEAR COLLAPSED. AN EXAM REVEALED THE #6 CYL LINK ROD &/OR PISTON IN THE R ENG HAD FAILED, RESULTING IN FURTHER DAMAGE TO THE ENG & #6 CYL. SUBSEQUENTLY, FIRE & HEAT CAUSED THE R ENG TO SEIZE & ALSO DAMGED THE R MAIN TIRES WHICH FAILED AT TOUCHDOWN.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,500 hours in all; 105 in the last 90 days; 21 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, October 20, 1984; 407 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 48,000 lb
- Seats: 48
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W R-2800-CB16 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BMH Birmingham AL at 11:00 pm
- Destination: UOX Oxford MS
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 27, 4,800 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: ovct at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 4 | ||
| Passengers | 1 | 33 |
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.