Swearingen SA-227-AT accident near Fayetteville, Arkansas, January 29, 2000
On January 29, 2000 at about 3:30 am local time, a Swearingen SA-227-AT, registered N245DH, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fayetteville, Arkansas (Fayetteville Drake Field). 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's failure to extend the landing gear. Contributing factors were the flight crew's non-compliance with the checklist, the pilot-in-command's diverted attention as a result of the loss of instrument approach/runway lighting, the partial failure of the instrument approach/runway lighting system, and the partial failure of the intercom system.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 29, 2000 · about 3:30 am local time
- Place
- Fayetteville, Arkansas · Fayetteville Drake Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Swearingen SA-227-AT · all SA-227-ATs on the register
- Registration
- N245DH · registry record · serial AT-624-B
- 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
On departure for the night air taxi cargo flight, the flight crew experienced a problem with the crew intercom system. The crew initiated their descent at a 'later than normal distance' from the airport, and as a result, a power reduction below 25 percent torque was required, which set off the gear warning horn. The sound 'eventually became part of the background noise.' During the approach, the captain asked the tower to dim the runway lights. At that time, the runway and approach lights went out and the crew lost sight of the runway. While the captain was asking the tower to turn the lights back on, the first officer called 'gear down, syncs off, speeds high, below the line check list.' The captain did not hear the first officer's callout and did not lower the landing gear. The captain stated that he did not hear the first officer's callout 'either because of the conversation [he] was having with the tower or because of the intercom system difficulties.' As the approach continued, the first officer had a problem slowing the airplane to proper approach speed. The airplane touched down on the runway with the landing gear retracted, 'slid' about 2,500 feet and exited the left side of the runway.
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: 4,116 hours in all; 625 in this make and model; 302 in the last 90 days; 99 in the last 30 days; 4,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 14,251 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, January 8, 2000; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 16,000 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett TPE331 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Ameriflight, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: TUL Tulsa OK at 3:00 am
- Destination: FYV
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 16, 6,006 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 050° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,100 ft
- Temperature: 25°F (-4°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 am from FYV
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.
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.