Swearingen SA226TC accident near Fargo, North Dakota, May 17, 1996
On May 17, 1996 at about 1:15 pm local time, a Swearingen SA226TC, registered N229AM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fargo, North Dakota (Hector International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 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 flight crew did not comply with the gear down and lock checklist. The factors were a jammed nose gear and inattentive preflight planning/preparations by the pilot-in-command.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 17, 1996 · about 1:15 pm local time
- Place
- Fargo, North Dakota · Hector International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Swearingen SA226TC · all SA226TCs on the register
- Registration
- N229AM · registry record · serial 305
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While on short final to land, the pilot-in-command landed with the nose landing gear still in the uplocked position. The maintenance logbook indicates several undetermined nose gear uplock conditions that the flight crews had to lower the nose gear by free falling it. All flights were uneventful up until this flight. A transcript of the cockpit voice recorder (CVR), indicated that the before landing checklist was not completed correctly. The landing gear challenge and reply checklist was recorded as saying landing gear coming down, with a horn beeping in the background. The Pilot's Operating Handbook (POH) says, landing gear--down, with no report of three green down and locked lights.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,293 hours in all; 319 in this make and model; 300 in the last 90 days; 103 in the last 30 days; 2,080 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 27,839 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, May 2, 1996; 44 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 12,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett TPE-331-10UA (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Airvantage, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: MSP Minneapolis MN at 11:49 am
- Destination: FAR ND
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 17, 9,546 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:00 pm from FAR
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 N229AM 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.