Swearingen SA226-T accident near West Chicago, Illinois, August 28, 2001
On August 28, 2001 at about 10:20 pm local time, a Swearingen SA226-T, registered N104BR, was substantially damaged in an accident near West Chicago, Illinois (Dupage airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the checklist not followed and the directional control not maintained by the pilot. A contributing factor was the left propeller’s start locks being engaged.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 28, 2001 · about 10:20 pm local time
- Place
- West Chicago, Illinois · Dupage · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Swearingen SA226-T · all SA226-Ts on the register
- Registration
- N104BR · registry record · serial T-269
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was substantially damaged during a takeoff roll on runway 1L (6,700 feet by 100 feet, dry grooved concrete). A wind from 050 degrees at 10 knots was recorded by the airport's automated surface observing system. The airplane veered towards the left when the pilot deselected nose wheel steering at approximately 60 knots. Examination of the airplane revealed that the trailing edge flaps and their respective cockpit control were in the 1/2 flap position. Two of left propeller's start locks were engaged. The third start lock was damaged. Two of the right propeller's start locks were not engaged. The right propellar's remaining start lock cam had a witness mark prior to the locking point of the cam. The airplane's checklist states that the flaps are to be in the retracted position and the engine's start locks are to be disengaged prior to takeoff. Also, the airplane flight manual does not have performance data for takeoff configurations with 1/2 flaps. Examination of the airplane revealed no anomalies.
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, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 23,075 hours in all; 5,000 in this make and model; 236 in the last 90 days; 33 in the last 30 days; 21,897 as pilot in command; 1,297 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 31, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,386 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 21, 2001; 2.5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 12,500 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett 331 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DPA Dupage IL at 10:20 pm
- Destination: SGF Springfield MO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 01L, 6,700 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from DPA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CHI01LA302.