Swearingen SA-226T accident near Missing, September 17, 1985
On September 17, 1985 at about 5:55 pm local time, a Swearingen SA-226T, registered N3RB, was destroyed in an accident near Missing. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was 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
- September 17, 1985 · about 5:55 pm local time
- Place
- Missing
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Swearingen SA-226T · all SA-226Ts on the register
- Registration
- N3RB · registry record · serial T214
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A DISTRESS MESSAGE WAS RECEIVED FROM THE PILOT STATING HE WAS 100 MILES SOUTH OF GRAND ISLE, LA, AND HAD LOST AN ENG ANDWAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE. A SECOND MESSAGE WAS RECEIVED SHORTLY AFTERWARDS STATING THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS AT 1500 FEET AND THE PILOT WAS PREPARING TO DITCH THE AIRCRAFT. NO FURTHER CONTACTS AND NO ELT SIGNALS WERE HEARD. THE ACFT WRECKAGE HAS NOT BEEN LOCATED.
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: 9,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 10,062 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett TPE3313U303G (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Not recorded
The flight
- Departed from: MZBZ Belize CA at 3:23 pm
- Destination: MSY New Orleans LA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
Other NTSB records under N3RB 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.