Fairchild SA-227AC accident near Lexington, Kentucky, April 18, 1992
On April 18, 1992 at about 2:25 am local time, a Fairchild SA-227AC, registered N27465, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lexington, Kentucky (Blue Grass airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
ATTEMPTED SUICIDE BY THE VEHICLE DRIVER.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 18, 1992 · about 2:25 am local time
- Place
- Lexington, Kentucky · Blue Grass · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Fairchild SA-227AC · all SA-227ACs on the register
- Registration
- N27465 · no longer on the register · serial AC755B
- 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
THE AIRPLANE WAS TAXIING TO THE GATE AFTER LANDING WHEN THE FLIGHT CREW OBSERVED A VEHICLE APPROACHING THEM FROM AHEAD ON THE TAXIWAY. THEY STOPPED THE AIRPLANE. THE VEHICLE STRUCK THE AIRPLANE, PASSING THROUGH THE RIGHT ENGINE PROPELLER ARC, BETWEEN THE FUSELAGE AND RIGHT ENGINE. THE DRIVER HAD GAINED ENTRY ONTO THE TAXIWAY BY DRIVING THROUGH A LOCKED GATE AND BREAKING THE FENCE. WHEN INTERVIEWED, THE VEHICLE DRIVER SAID HE HAD BEEN DRINKING AND WANTED TO KILL HIMSELF.
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 multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,675 hours in all; 375 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 2,100 as pilot in command; 900 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,624 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, April 8, 1992; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 16,000 lb
- Seats: 21
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett TPE-331-11U (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Mesaba Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: DTW Detroit MI
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 22, 7,003 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 160° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 9,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:50 am from LEX, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.