Swearingen SA226TC N237AM
20 August 1982 · Kansas City, Missouri, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 20 August 1982 at about 19:43 local time, a Swearingen SA226TC registered N237AM, operated by Air Midwest, was involved in an accident near Kansas City, Missouri, United States. 12 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause statement is available for this record.
The record
- Date
- at 19:43
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Kansas City, Missouri, United States
- Nearest airport
- Downtown (MKC)
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- Swearingen SA226TC
- Registration
- N237AM
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Air Midwest
- Operating rule
- Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Wichita → Topeka
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- MKC82FA149
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
Probable cause
The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.
Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.
Read the full NTSB narrative
DURING THE APPROACH TO TOPEKA THE CREW WAS UNABLE TO EXTEND THE LEFT GEAR. THE CREW DIVERTED TO KANSAS CITY, AND AFTER MANY UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPTS TO LOWER THE LEFT GEAR ELECTED TO LAND WHEELS-UP. THE LEFT MAIN GEAR WAS JAMMED INTO THE GEARDOORS. THE AFT HINGE BOLT WAS MISSING FROM THE LEFT INBOARD GEAR DOOR, ALLOWING THE GEAR DOOR TO SHIFT JUST ENOUGH TO JAM THE GEAR AS IT STARTED TO EXTEND. 17 DAYS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT THE LOOSE AFT HINGE WAS NOTED DURING PREFLIGHT. COMPANY MAINTENANCE WAS UNABLE TO RETORQUE THE BOLT DUE TO THE NUTPLATE ATTACHMENT RIVETS BEING STRIPPED. THIS ITEM WAS BEING CARRIED AS A DELAYED DISCREPANCY. THESE PARTS CAN ONLY BE LUBRICATED BEFORE INSTALLATION. THE ENTIRE ASSEMBLY IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO INSPECT, REMOVE, LUBRICATE, INSTALL, TORQUE & SAFETY REPLACEMENT OF THE NUTPLATE IS CONSIDERED A MAJOR UNDERTAKING THE MANFACTURER STATED THAT "SHORT CYCLING" THE GEAR AS MANY AS 18 TIMES WOULD EVENTUALLY BREAK OPEN THE GEAR DOORS. THIS EMERGENCY METHOD OF EXTENDING THE GEAR HAD NOT BEEN DISSEMINATED TO ALL OPERATORS.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Swearingen SA226TC accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Apr 1982 | Swearingen SA226TC | Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States | Air Wisconsin, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 31 Mar 1982 | Swearingen SA226TC | Chicago, Illinois, United States | Britt Airways, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 13 Mar 1983 | Swearingen SA226TC | Albany, New York, United States | East Coast Airways | Minor injuries | - |
| 28 Aug 1983 | Swearingen SA226TC | Hot Springs, Arkansas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 26 Oct 1984 | Swearingen SA226TC | Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States | Scheduled Skyways | No injuries | - |
| 13 Aug 1984 | Swearingen SA226TC | Memphis, Tennessee, United States | Scheduled Skyways, Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Sep 1982 | Cessna 172N | Lake of the Oza, Missouri, United States | Wayne Collins Merle Nelson | Fatal | 2 |
| 20 May 1982 | Piper PA-28-140 | Columbia, Missouri, United States | Olan R. McGee | No injuries | - |
| 23 Jun 1982 | Bellanca 17-30 | Columbia, Missouri, United States | John M. Lindhorst | Serious injuries | - |
| 7 Nov 1982 | Bensen M8M | Gerald, Missouri, United States | Richard J. Barlow | Serious injuries | - |
| 18 Jun 1982 | Cessna A188 | Appleton City, Missouri, United States | Odell Priest | No injuries | - |
| 15 May 1982 | Bell 47G-2 | Osage Beech, Missouri, United States | East Bank Co. | No injuries | - |