Swearingen SA-227AC incident near Fort Wayne, Indiana, April 8, 1988
On April 8, 1988 at about 6:15 am local time, a Swearingen SA-227AC, registered N448CA, suffered minor damage in an incident near Fort Wayne, Indiana (Baer Field). It was an instructional 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
INADEQUATE DESIGN OF THE STRUT FOR THE INTENDED SERVICE CONDITIONS IN COMMUTER AIR CARRIER OPERATIONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 8, 1988 · about 6:15 am local time
- Place
- Fort Wayne, Indiana · Baer Field
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Swearingen SA-227AC · all SA-227ACs on the register
- Registration
- N448CA · registry record · serial AC448
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 7,380 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,173 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 24, 1988; 81 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 14,500 lb
- Seats: 22
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett TPE-331-11U (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 32, 8,500 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 030° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 6:25 am from FWA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 |
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.