Fairchild SA 227-AC accident near Newark, New Jersey, November 5, 1993
On November 5, 1993 at about 5:06 pm local time, a Fairchild SA 227-AC, registered N550TD, was involved in an accident near Newark, New Jersey (Newark International Apt. airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 15 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
1) THE FAILURE OF THE RAMP AGENT TO FOLLOW PROPER PROCEDURES DURING THE SERVICING OF THE AIRPLANE, AND 2) HER LACK OF ATTENTION TO THE HAZARDS SURROUNDING HER. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT ARE 1) THE PRESSURE PLACED ON THE RAMP AGENT TO RUSH THE SERVICING OF THE DELAYED FLIGHT, AND 2) THE INADEQUATE MANUALS PROVIDED BY THE OPERATOR CONCERNING RAMP SAFETY.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 5, 1993 · about 5:06 pm local time
- Place
- Newark, New Jersey · Newark International Apt.
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 15 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Fairchild SA 227-AC · all SA 227-ACs on the register
- Registration
- N550TD · no longer on the register · serial AC-487B
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE RAMP AGENT WAS SERVICING A FLIGHT THAT WAS 40 MINUTES BEHIND ITS SCHEDULED DEPARTURE TIME. AFTER BOTH ENGINES HAD BEEN STARTED, THE CAPTAIN GAVE THE HAND SIGNAL TO DISCONNECT THE AIRPLANE FROM THE GROUND POWER UNIT (GPU). UPON RECEIVING THE SIGNAL, THE RAMP AGENT WALKED FROM THE FRONT OF THE AIRPLANE, AROUND THE RIGHT WING, AND TO THE REAR OF THE AIRPLANE. A SECOND RAMP AGENT THEN ARRIVED TO ASSIST. THE FIRST RAMP AGENT DISCONNECTED THE GPU, HANDED THE PLUG TO THE SECOND RAMP AGENT, DUCKED UNDER THE RIGHT WING, WALKED FORWARD INTO THE PROPELLER ARC, AND WAS STRUCK SEVERAL TIMES BY THE MOVING PROPELLER. THE RAMP AGENT RECIEVED TRAINING ON RAMP SAFETY AND WAS DESIGNATED AN INSTRUCTOR OF RAMP SAFETY. THREE AIRPLANES WERE AT THE GATE AREA AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE RAMP AREA DOES NOT HAVE ANY MARKINGS FOR AIRPLANE PARKING OR GROUND OPERATIONS. THE MANUALS USED BY THE AGENT'S EMPLOYER DID NOT REFERENCE WALKING UNDER WINGS OR CLEARANCE FROM PROPELLER ARCS DURING RAMP OPERATIONS.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,700 hours in all; 1,700 in this make and model; 180 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 4,300 as pilot in command; 120 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,767 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, November 1, 1993; 19 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 16,000 lb
- Seats: 21
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett TPE 331-11 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Northeast Express Airlines INC
The flight
- Destination: BOS Boston MA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,300 ft; scat at 800 ft
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 pm from EWR
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 13 |
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.