Swearingen SA-226TC accident near Chantilly, Virginia, December 7, 1982
On December 7, 1982 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Swearingen SA-226TC, registered N126AV, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chantilly, Virginia (Dulles Intl 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 7, 1982 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Chantilly, Virginia · Dulles Intl
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 6 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Swearingen SA-226TC · all SA-226TCs on the register
- Registration
- N126AV · registry record
- 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
APPROACHING THE ARPT THE FLT WAS GIVEN VECTORS TO RWY 01L & CLEARED TO DESCEND TO 2,000 FT. THE CONTROLLER REQUESTED THAT THE PLT EXPEDITE THE DESCENT THROUGH 3,000 FT. THE FIRST OFFICER, WHO WAS FLYING THE ACFT, REQUESTED THE GEAR DOWN.THE CAPTAIN STATED THAT HE DID NOT SPECIFICALLY REMEMBER PLACING THE GEAR HANDLE DOWN BUT THOUGHT HE DID. THE FIRST OFFICER STATED THAT HE DID NOT LOOK AT THE GEAR HANDLE OR INDICATORS. THE ACFT LANDED GEAR UP. THE CAPTAIN STATED THAT WHEN THE PROPELLERS BEGAN CONTACTING THE RWY HE CHECKED THE GEAR HANDLE TO CONFIRM IT WAS DOWN, & MAY HAVE PUT IT DOWN AT THAT TIME. AT NO TIME DID EITHER CREW MEMBER HEAR THE GEAR UNSAFE WARNING HORN. THE CAPTAIN STATED THAT BECAUSE MANY OF THEIR APPROACHES WERE STEEP & FAST WITH POWER LEVERS AT IDLE, MANY CREWS FLEW WITH THE WARNING HORN CIRCUIT BREAKER PULLED.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,497 hours in all; 1,297 in this make and model; 206 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 3,925 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,651 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 10,062 lb
- Seats: 22
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Airesearch TPE-331 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Flt America, INC
The flight
- Departed from: ORD Norfolk VA at 4:14 pm
- Destination: 3V5 Fort Collins CO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 1L, 11,550 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 330° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,900 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 138°F (59°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:57 pm from IAD, 1 miles away
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number DCA83AA009.