The Rural Runway: Truth Behind Indiana’s Plane Crashes

Indiana Aviation Accidents Report: 2016–2025

The numbers are clear. Over the past decade, Indiana’s largest commercial airports accounted for only a small share of reported aviation accidents. The vast majority happened at general aviation fields, regional runways, and private airstrips across the state.

This report from our plane crash lawyers reviews Indiana aviation accident data from 2016 through 2025, using the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) census of U.S. civil aviation accidents. The goal is simple: show where accidents actually happen and give the public an accurate picture of aviation risk in Indiana.

Indiana’s Airport System

Indiana runs a large public-use airport network. According to the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT), the state is home to 127 public-use aviation facilities. Those facilities generate more than $14 billion in economic output and support or sustain roughly 69,000 jobs.

Federal regulations sort the operations that run through these airports into distinct categories. Knowing those categories explains why accident patterns differ across the system.

• Commercial service airports handle scheduled passenger airline flights. These operations fall under Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Part 121, the rules that govern major scheduled air carriers. Part 121 sets strict standards for crew training, aircraft maintenance, and operational oversight.
• Commuter and on-demand operations fall under FAA Part 135. This category covers charter flights, air taxis, and smaller scheduled services that often use regional and general aviation fields.
• General aviation covers everything outside scheduled airline and commercial charter service. This includes private flying, flight training, medical transport, agricultural work, and recreational trips. General aviation operates under FAA Part 91, the broadest set of rules for civil aircraft. Most of Indiana’s airports serve this segment.

Commercial Service Airports in Indiana

Indiana has five public-use commercial service airports:

• Indianapolis International Airport (IND) in Indianapolis
• Fort Wayne International Airport (FWA) in Fort Wayne
• South Bend International Airport (SBN) in South Bend
• Evansville Regional Airport (EVV) in Evansville
• Purdue University Airport (LAF) in West Lafayette

One note on Purdue University Airport (LAF): it only recently began handling commercial service flights. For most of the study period, it functioned as a general aviation field.

Review of Indiana Aviation Accident Data

The NTSB records split cleanly by airport type. Between 2016 and 2025, Indiana recorded 136 aviation accidents. The breakdown is decisive.

Commercial service airports accounted for 17 events, or 12.5% of the total. All other airports accounted for 119 events, or 87.5%. Put plainly: the airports most people picture when they hear “plane crash” represent about one in eight reported incidents. The rest occurred across the general aviation network.

Source: National Transportation Safety Board. “Census of US Civil Aviation Accidents.” Accessed January 6, 2026.

Where Most Incidents Occur

The concentration of accidents at non-commercial fields holds steady across the decade. With 119 events at other airports against 17 at commercial hubs, the balance sits firmly with general aviation.

A few high-activity fields recorded multiple events during the study period. The top accident locations were:

• Private airstrips (combined): 8 accidents
• Porter County Regional Airport: 7 accidents
• Purdue University Airport: 6 accidents

Purdue’s placement on this list deserves context. Because the airport operated as a general aviation field for most of the past ten years, its accident count reflects that history. Its recent shift to commercial service is a new development, so the events recorded here largely predate that change.

The takeaway is straightforward. Aviation safety in Indiana is not uniform across the system. The fields with the highest activity levels tend to record the most incidents, and those fields sit outside the commercial airport network.

This does not diminish the role of Indiana’s commercial airports. They connect the state to the rest of the country and operate under rigorous federal oversight. But they represent only one part of the picture. A complete view of aviation risk requires looking at the regional runways, municipal fields, and private airstrips that carry most of the traffic.

After a Plane Crash

A plane crash can change your life in an instant. In the days that follow, families often face serious injuries, lost income, mounting medical bills, and hard questions about what comes next. The strain is immediate, and it can feel like too much to handle alone.

That is when steady guidance matters most. Clear answers, a firm understanding of your options, and a knowledgeable advocate at your side can make a difficult situation manageable. It does not matter whether the crash happened at a major airport or a small airstrip in a rural county. If you have been affected, you deserve honest answers and a clear path forward.

Our Indiana personal injury lawyers are ready to help. We will explain your rights, review your case, and pursue the compensation you are owed.