What happened
A charter flight traveling from Indianapolis to Nashville, which included a scheduled stop at Evansville Airport, ended in a fatal accident during the departure phase. The aircraft was transporting members of the University of Evansville basketball team along with other personnel. During the takeoff from runway 18, which occurred amidst light rain and mist, the pilot attempted a left turn after rotation. During this maneuver, the plane collided with two trees situated east of the airport. Following the collision, the aircraft rolled to the right and crashed approximately one mile southeast of the runway 18 threshold. The impact resulted in the total destruction of the aircraft and 29 fatalities.
Findings
Investigations into the crash identified several critical contributing factors. The accident was primarily caused by an attempt to take off while the rudder and right aileron control locks remained installed. This mechanical oversight, paired with an improper center of gravity, caused the aircraft to pitch into a nose-high attitude immediately after takeoff, pushing it into a state of reversed command that the pilot could not recover from. Additionally, the crew failed to load passenger baggage according to the established load manifest. This error created a rearward center of gravity that, while still within the aft limit, was outside the optimal operating range.