Amateur-built Dash 8-100 accident near Washington, District of Columbia, August 5, 2001
On August 5, 2001 at about 10:40 pm local time, a amateur-built Dash 8-100, registered N935HA, suffered minor damage in an accident near Washington, District of Columbia (Ronald Reagan National Airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 32 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The ramp agent's impaired performance due to his hyperthyroidism, which was exacerbated by the heat and was inadequately controlled by medication, and possibly also due to the use of an antianxiety medication.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 5, 2001 · about 10:40 pm local time
- Place
- Washington, District of Columbia · Ronald Reagan National Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 32 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Dash 8-100
- Registration
- N935HA · no longer on the register · serial 142
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The information collected during the investigation of this accident indicates that the ramp agent had both training and experience in working near propeller-driven airplanes and that the carelessness shown in the accident was inadvertent and out of character. This finding is substantiated by statements from coworkers, who described the ramp agent as safety conscious and a hard worker. The surface of the ramp was not a factor in this accident. The ramp agent was at the end of his shift on a very hot day and was taking a medication for a medical condition that had the potential to impair his judgment.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 36,768 hours in all; 10,675 in this make and model; 158 in the last 90 days; 46 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Seats: 37
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PEW120/PW100 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DCA Washington DC
- Destination: HPN White Plains NY
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 | |||
| Passengers | 29 |
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.