The Air Indiana Flight 216 crash was a tragic event that occurred on December 13, 1977, and had a profound impact on the University of Evansville basketball team. The Douglas DC-3 aircraft, carrying the team to a game against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders, crashed on takeoff at the Evansville Regional Airport in Indiana.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation determined that the crash resulted from the pilot’s failure to remove gust locks on the right aileron and the rudder before takeoff, along with an overloaded baggage compartment. The combination of these factors made it impossible to control the aircraft, and the plane crashed shortly after lift-off.
Among the passengers on the plane, the only survivor from the University of Evansville basketball team was 18-year-old freshman David Furr, who was out for the season due to an ankle injury and was not on the flight that day. However, the tragedy continued for Furr, as he and his younger brother Byron were killed in a car accident near Newton, Illinois, just two weeks after the plane crash. This unfortunate sequence of events left the entire 1977 Evansville basketball team dead.
In memory of the victims, a memorial known as the “Weeping Basketball” was constructed at the University of Evansville. The monument includes the names of the players who lost their lives, including David Furr, and also features 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.” The memorial serves as a lasting tribute to those who perished in the tragic incident.