Fairchild SA226TC incident near Paducah, Kentucky, December 11, 1986
On December 11, 1986 at about 8:35 pm local time, a Fairchild SA226TC, registered N323BA, suffered minor damage in an incident near Paducah, Kentucky (Barkley Regional airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91, subpart F). 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 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
- December 11, 1986 · about 8:35 pm local time
- Place
- Paducah, Kentucky · Barkley Regional · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Fairchild SA226TC · all SA226TCs on the register
- Registration
- N323BA · no longer on the register · serial TC280
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91, subpart F)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
JUST AFTER THE BEGINNING OF A DESCENT FOR LANDING A RUDDER CABLE FAILED COMPLETELY, RENDERING THE RUDDER INOPERATIVE. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED UNEVENTFULLY. METALLURGICAL ANALYSIS REVEALED THAT THE CABLE WORE SEVERELY UNTIL IT FAILED. FOLLOWING AN EXAMINATION OF TWO OPERATOR'S SA-226 FLEETS MANY OTHER WORN CONTROL CABLES WERE FOUND. LATER, THE FAA: 1. PUBLISHED A CABLE INSPECTION AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE 2. RECOMMENDED THAT THE MANUFACTURER CLARIFY ITS PUBLISHED CABLE INSPECTION PROCEDURES AND 3. RECOMMENDED THAT AVIATION MAINTENANCE TECHNICIAN SCHOOLS REVIEW THEIR CABLE INSPECTION TEACHING THOROUGHNESS.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,700 hours in all; 300 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 10,062 lb
- Seats: 22
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett 331-3UW-303G (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: STL St. Louis MI at 8:00 pm
- Destination: PAH Paducah KY
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 4, 6,499 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 8:30 pm from PAH, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
Other NTSB records under N323BA the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.