Britten-Norman BN-2 MARK III incident near Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, March 21, 1983
On March 21, 1983 at about 4:15 pm local time, a Britten-Norman BN-2 MARK III, registered N420WA, suffered minor damage in an incident near Blue Bell, Pennsylvania (Wings Field). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 2 people had minor injuries; 11 others were unhurt. 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 incident. 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
- March 21, 1983 · about 4:15 pm local time
- Place
- Blue Bell, Pennsylvania · Wings Field · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries; 11 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Britten-Norman BN-2 MARK III BN-2 MARK · all BN-2 MARK IIIs on the register
- Registration
- N420WA · registry record · serial 1040
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A DEICER BOOT ON A RIGHT PROPELLER BLADE SEPARATED. IT STRUCK & BROKE A WINDOW. A TIE STRAP WAS MISSING. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF IMPROPER OR INADEQUATE BONDING.
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 multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,800 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 75 in the last 30 days; 3,600 as pilot in command; 1,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,484 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, March 13, 1983; 19 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 10,000 lb
- Seats: 18
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming 0540-G4G5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PHL Philadelphia PA
- Destination: N67 Blue Bell PA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 6, 2,618 ft by 50 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:30 am from BBX, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 2 | 9 |
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.