Swearingen SA226TC accident near Terre Haute, Indiana, January 30, 1984
On January 30, 1984 at about 11:30 am local time, a Swearingen SA226TC, registered N63Z, was destroyed in an accident near Terre Haute, Indiana (Hulman Regional airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 3 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 30, 1984 · about 11:30 am local time
- Place
- Terre Haute, Indiana · Hulman Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Swearingen SA226TC · all SA226TCs on the register
- Registration
- N63Z · no longer on the register · serial TC-240
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER TAKING OFF FROM RWY 23, THE ACFT CRASHED SSW OF THE ARPT ABOUT 6300 FT FROM THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RWY & ABOUT 1800 FT TO THE LEFT OF THE RWY CENTERLINE. IMPACT OCCURRED WHILE THE ACFT WAS IN A STEEP DESCENT. THE WRECKAGE PATH WAS SCATTERED ALONG A HEADING OF 035 DEG FROM THE INITIAL IMPACT POINT. THE ACFT WAS DEMOLISHED BY IMPACT & FIRE & NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FOUND THAT WOULD HAVE CAUSED THE ACCIDENT.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 19,189 hours in all; 1,501 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,607 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, January 18, 1984; 568 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 12,500 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett TPE-331 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: HUF
- Destination: EVV Evansville IN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 23, 9,020 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 280° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,200 ft; not recorded at 1,200 ft
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:35 am from HUF, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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.