Dornier DO-228-201 accident near Manchester, New Hampshire, April 21, 1987
On April 21, 1987, a Dornier DO-228-201, registered N232RP, was substantially damaged in an accident near Manchester, New Hampshire (Grenier Field). 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
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
- April 21, 1987
- Place
- Manchester, New Hampshire · Grenier Field
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 16 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Dornier DO-228-201
- Registration
- N232RP · no longer on the register · serial 8026
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
VIBRATION WAS EXPERIENCED SHORTLY AFTER TOUCHDOWN CAUSED BY THE FAILURE OF THE PROPELLER BLADE AS A RESULT OF FATIGUE CRACKING WHICH WAS INITIATED FROM A LINEAR AREA IN A DEFECT FREE PORTION OF THE CAMBER FACE OF THE BLADE. PROPAGATION WAS THROUGH 60% OF THE BLADE CROSS SECTION BEFORE FINAL FAILURE. THE PROP BLADE HAD SEPARATED 23 INCHES FROM THE TIP AND DEFLECTED OFF THE RWY AWAY FROM THE FUSELAGE.
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
- Flight time: 3,161 hours in all; 920 in this make and model; 240 in the last 90 days; 1,851 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,345 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 8, 1987; 67 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,720 lb
- Seats: 20
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett TPE-331 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EWR Newark NJ at 11:30 pm
- Destination: MHT Manchester NH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 7,001 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
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.
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.