Saab-Fairchild SF340A incident near Covington, Kentucky, March 10, 1987
On March 10, 1987, a Saab-Fairchild SF340A, registered N341CA, suffered minor damage in an incident near Covington, Kentucky (Cincinnati Int'L airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 10, 1987
- Place
- Covington, Kentucky · Cincinnati Int'L · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Saab-Fairchild SF340A
- Registration
- N341CA · registry record · serial 3404-021
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER A HYDRAULIC SYS MALFUNCTION, THE CAPT RETURNED TO ARPT TO EXCHANGE ACFT. COMPANY PLT HAD COMPLETED DAY OF FLYING AND WAS ASKED TO TAXI ACFT TO MAINT HANGAR. DEPARTING CAPT WAS IN PROCESS OF MANUALLY PUMPING HYD SYS TO SUFFICIENT PRESSURE TO ENSURE BRAKING ACTION. REPOSITIONING CAPT TOOK LEFT SEAT AND BEGAN TAXI TO HANGAR, CONFIRMED RAMP AREA REQUIRED POWER AND BRAKING TO MANEUVER AWAY FROM BOEING 767 AND FUEL TRUCK. PLT LOST BRAKE PRESSURE AND PLACED PROPS IN REVERSE TO PREVENT COLLISION WITH TRUCK. COLLISION WAS IMMINENT SO PLT ELECTED TO SHUT DOWN ENGINES. AS PROPS TRANSITIONED FROM POWERED REVERSE A BURST OF THRUST ACCELERATED ACFT TO IMPACT WITH FUEL TRUCK AND DELTA JET. EXAM DETERMINED INTERNAL HYDRO PUMP FAILED DRIVE SHAFT DUE TO IMPROPERLY SECURED RETAINER NUT. THE COMPANY HAS SINCE MADE IT MANDATORY FOR 2 PLTS TO BE ON A TAXIIED ACFT.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,500 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,098 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 3, 1987; 74 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 27,000 lb
- Seats: 37
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CT7-5 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Comair,Inc.
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 040° at 14 knots, gusting 24
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:50 pm from CVG
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.