Swearingen SA-26AT accident near Greenville, South Carolina, June 21, 1994
On June 21, 1994 at about 1:00 pm local time, a Swearingen SA-26AT, registered N802DJ, was substantially damaged in an accident near Greenville, South Carolina (Donaldson Center airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO PROPERLY FLARE THE AIRCRAFT DURING LANDING, RESULTING IN A HARD LANDING.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 21, 1994 · about 1:00 pm local time · cases in 1994
- Place
- Greenville, South Carolina · Donaldson Center · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Swearingen SA-26AT · all SA-26ATs on the register
- Registration
- N802DJ · registry record · serial T26-117
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT HAD COMPLETED A PRACTICE ILS APPROACH IN VFR CONDITIONS. DURING THE FLARE, HIS POWER REDUCTION WAS EXCESSIVE, AND THE AIRCRAFT LANDED HARD. STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO THE WINGS RESULTED.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,717 hours in all; 34 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 1,717 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,781 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, April 14, 1994; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 10,000 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett TPE-331-1-151 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SPA Spartanburg SC at 12:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 4, 8,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N802DJ on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Swearingen SA-26 9 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Swearingen 88 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Garrett TPE-331-1-151 7 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Spartanburg Downtown Meml/Simpson Field · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in South Carolina 1,036 since 1982 · 173 in the last ten years
- South Carolina 3,114 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ATL94LA146.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.