Swearingen SA226TC incident near Chicago, Illinois, March 31, 1982
On March 31, 1982 at about 3:05 am local time, a Swearingen SA226TC, registered N62Z, suffered minor damage in an incident near Chicago, Illinois (O'Hare International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 18 people were 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 31, 1982 · about 3:05 am local time
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois · O'Hare International
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 18 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Swearingen SA226TC · all SA226TCs on the register
- Registration
- N62Z · registry record · serial TC237
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT VEERED LEFT AT SLOW SPEED BUT THE VEER WAS CORRECTED. AT 60 KTS THE AIRCRAFT VEERED AGAIN AND WAS NOT CORRECTED. AIRCRAFT LEFT RUNWAY AND DAMAGED PROPS. SERVICE BULLETIN SA-226 NO. 103 DATED 01/20/82 STATES THAT LIMITS BE PLACED ON USE OF NOSE WHEEL STEERING AND PRE-TAKEOFF CHECK TO INSURE STEERING IS IN CASTOR MODE PRIOR TO TAKEOFF.
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: 4,395 hours in all; 1,008 in this make and model; 265 in the last 90 days; 3,950 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,510 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 29 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 12,500 lb
- Seats: 22
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett TPE-331-3U3-O (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Britt Airways, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: ORD Chicago IL
- Destination: CMI Urbana IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 32, 11,600 ft by 200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 220° at 18 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 140°F (60°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:50 pm from ORD
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 16 |
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.