Swearingen SA 226TC accident near Morrisville, North Carolina, January 24, 1990
On January 24, 1990 at about 10:42 pm local time, a Swearingen SA 226TC, registered N396AV, was substantially damaged in an accident near Morrisville, North Carolina (Raleigh-Durham airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 11 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
IMPROPER INSTALLATION OF THE LANDING GEAR DOOR ACTUATOR FORK ASSEMBLY BY COMPANY MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 24, 1990 · about 10:42 pm local time
- Place
- Morrisville, North Carolina · Raleigh-Durham · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 11 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Swearingen SA 226TC · all SA 226TCs on the register
- Registration
- N396AV · no longer on the register · serial TC-396
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER THE COMMUTER FLIGHT ARRIVED AT ITS DESTINATION THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR WOULD NOT EXTEND USING NORMAL AND ABNORMAL PROCEDURES. THE AIRPLANE WAS RETURNED TO THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT AND LANDED ON THE RWY WITH ALL WHEELS RETRACTED. SUBSEQUENT EXAMINATION OF THE LANDING GEAR BY THE OPERATOR REVEALED THAT THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR DOOR ACTUATOR FORK ASSEMBLY HAD BEEN INCORRECTLY INSTALLED. AS A RESULT THE LANDING GEAR DOOR WOULD NOT OPEN.
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; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,870 hours in all; 1,586 in this make and model; 115 in the last 90 days; 61 in the last 30 days; 1,143 as pilot in command; 153 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 10,062 lb
- Seats: 19
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett TPE 331-10 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Amr Corporation
The flight
- Destination: FAY Fayetteville NC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 23R, 10,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 12,000 ft; scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 9:50 pm from RDU
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 9 |
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.