Air Indiana Flight 216

Air Indiana Flight 216
	DC-3 similar to accident aircraft
Accident
Date	13 December 1977
Summary	Rudder and right aileron; control locks not removed before takeoff
Site	Evansville Regional Airport, Indiana, United States
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Douglas DC-3
Operator	Air Indiana
Registration	N51071
Passengers	26
Crew	3
Fatalities	29
Survivors	0

The Air Indiana Flight 216 crash occurred on December 13, 1977, at 19:22 CST, when a Douglas DC-3, registration N51071 carrying the University of Evansville basketball team, crashed on takeoff at the Evansville Regional Airport in Evansville, Indiana. The aircraft lost control and crashed shortly after lift-off.^[1] The plane was on its way to Nashville International Airport, taking the team to play the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders in Murfreesboro.^[2]^[3]

The National Transportation Safety Board blamed the crash on the pilot's failure to remove gust locks on the right aileron and the rudder before takeoff, as well as an overloaded baggage compartment. The NTSB report said that the plane might have been able to stay airborne had only one of the problems existed. As it was, the extra baggage shifted the plane's center of gravity to the back end, and the locked rudder and aileron made it impossible to control the overweight aircraft.

The only member of the Purple Aces who did not die in the crash was 18-year-old freshman David Furr; he was out for the season with an ankle injury and thus was not on the plane that day. But just two weeks after the crash, Furr and his younger brother Byron were killed in a car accident near Newton, Illinois, leaving the entire 1977 Evansville team dead.^[4]

A memorial has been constructed at the University of Evansville known as the "Weeping Basketball." On stone slabs are engraved the names of the players who were killed, including Furr. (The final name on the monument is that of Charles Goad of the Goad Equipment Company, invited on the flight by his friend Bob Hudson.) Also engraved is an excerpt from the eulogy delivered by school president Wallace Graves at a memorial service: "Out of the agony of this hour we will rise."

Flight crew

Airplane crew:^[5]
- Pilot - Ty Van Pham (aged 42)
- Copilot - Gaston Ruiz (aged 35)

References

^ "ASN Aircraft accident Douglas C-53 (DC-3) N51071 Evansville-Dress Regional Airport, IN (EVV)". Aviation-safety.net. 1977-12-13. Retrieved 2012-01-29.
^ "Team plane crashes in flames". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. December 14, 1977. p. 1.
^ "Air crash ends Evansville's dreams". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). wire service reports. December 14, 1977. p. 1D.
^ "Last Evansville player dies in auto accident". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. (Florida). UPI. December 29, 1977. p. 1E.
^ "30 Years After 90 Seconds".

38°2′11.89″N 87°31′7.61″W / 38.0366361°N 87.5187806°W / 38.0366361; -87.5187806

[1] "ASN Aircraft accident Douglas C-53 (DC-3) N51071 Evansville-Dress Regional Airport, IN (EVV)". Aviation-safety.net. 1977-12-13. Retrieved 2012-01-29.

[tpcrifl-2] "Team plane crashes in flames". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. December 14, 1977. p. 1.

[aceedr-3] "Air crash ends Evansville's dreams". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). wire service reports. December 14, 1977. p. 1D.

[aevpl-4] "Last Evansville player dies in auto accident". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. (Florida). UPI. December 29, 1977. p. 1E.

[5] "30 Years After 90 Seconds".

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[2]

[3]

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[5]

v t e University of Evansville
Located in: Evansville, Indiana
Athletics	Evansville Purple Aces Baseball Men's basketball Women's basketball Men's soccer German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium Ford Center
Awards	Richard Wilbur Award
Related	Men's basketball team plane crash Harlaxton Manor
Founded: 1854

v t e Evansville Purple Aces men's basketball
Venues	Roberts Municipal Stadium (1956–2011) Ford Center (2011–present)
Culture & lore	1977 team plane crash
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
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NCAA national championships in bold

Flight crew

See also

References