Status:	Final
Date:	13 DEC 1977
Time:	19:22 CST
Type:	Douglas C-53 (DC-3)
Operator:	National Jet Services
Registration:	N51071
C/n / msn:	4837
First flight:	1941
Total airframe hrs:	19777
Engines:	2 Pratt & Whitney R-1830-94
Crew:	Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3
Passengers:	Fatalities: 26 / Occupants: 26
Total:	Fatalities: 29 / Occupants: 29
Airplane damage:	Written off
Airplane fate:	Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location:	Evansville-Dress Regional Airport, IN (EVV) (United States of America)
Phase:	Initial climb (ICL)
Nature:	Domestic Non Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport:	Evansville-Dress Regional Airport, IN (EVV/KEVV), United States of America
Destination airport:	Nashville Metropolitan Airport, TN (BNA/KBNA), United States of America

Narrative:
The DC-3, chartered to fly the Evansville basketball team to Nashville lost control and crashed shortly after take-off from runway 18.

PROBABLE CAUSE: "An attempted take-off with the rudder and right aileron control locks installed, in combination with a rearward centre of gravity, which resulted in the aircraft's rotating to a nose-high attitude immediately after take-off, and entering the region of reversed command from which the pilot was unable to recover. Contributing to the accident was the failure of the flight crew to ensure that the passenger baggage was loaded in accordance with the configuration contained on the load manifest. Their failure resulted in a rearward centre of gravity that was aft of the optimum range, but forward of the rearmost limit."

Events:

Sources:
» Flight International 31.12.77(1893)

Sample newspaper article from Newspaperarchive.com