Swearingen SA226-TC incident near Chicago, Illinois, June 22, 1988
On June 22, 1988 at about 2:05 pm local time, a Swearingen SA226-TC, registered N329BA, was involved 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; 6 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE FRONT MOTOR BEARING IN THE SAS SERVO MOTOR ASSEMBLY, AND THE RESULTANT 'JAMMING' OF THE ELEVATOR CONTROL CABLES. THE PILOT ABORTED THE TAKEOFF AS A RESULT OF THE VIBRATION IN THE YOKE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 22, 1988 · about 2:05 pm local time
- Place
- Chicago, Illinois · O'Hare International
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Swearingen SA226-TC · all SA226-TCs on the register
- Registration
- N329BA · no longer on the register · serial TC-238
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
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: 13,500 hours in all; 250 in the last 90 days; 80 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 15,690 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, June 5, 1988; 71 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 12,500 lb
- Seats: 22
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett TPE-331-10UA (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Britt Airways, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: ORD Chicago IL at 2:05 pm
- Destination: PIA Peoria IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 32L, 13,000 ft by 200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 14 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; scat at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:50 pm from ORD
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
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.