Swearingen SA227-AC incident near Abilene, Texas, March 4, 1997
On March 4, 1997 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Swearingen SA227-AC, registered N373PH, was involved in an incident near Abilene, Texas (Abilene Regional airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 12 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flightcrew's failure to maintain aircraft control. Factors were the tailwind and a partial nosewheel steering failure.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 4, 1997 · about 4:00 pm local time · cases in 1997
- Place
- Abilene, Texas · Abilene Regional · cases near this airport
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 12 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Swearingen SA227-AC · all SA227-ACs on the register
- Registration
- N373PH · registry record · serial 538
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Landing runways were 17L and 22. The crew requested runway 35R. During the landing roll, when the first officer engaged the nose wheel steering, the airplane made an unexpected left turn. The crew applied right rudder and right brake; however, the airplane exited the runway. Winds were from the S/SW at 12 knots gusting to 24 knots. No previous discrepancies for the nose wheel steering were noted. During a postincident maintenance taxi check, the 'aircraft made a left turn that increased it's rate rapidly.' Maintenance personnel removed and replaced the #4 brake assembly, repaired a shorting wire at the nose wheel steering power lever switch, and replaced the power lever switch. The company computed a 13 knot tailwind (company limit 10 kts) and stated that skid marks on the runway 'seem to indicate a high rate of speed very late in the landing roll.' When the nose wheel steering actuator was removed and tested, no discrepancies were found. The director of operations commented that the incident 'would not have occurred had the aircraft been landed into the wind' and that 'possible inadvertent disconnection of the steering system was [a] contributing factor.'
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 26,593 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, January 29, 1997; 106 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 14,500 lb
- Seats: 212
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett TPE331-11V (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Conquest Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: AUS Austin TX at 3:20 pm
- Destination: ABI
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 35R, 7,199 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 18 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from ABI
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 10 |
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N373PH on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Swearingen SA227 31 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Swearingen 88 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Garrett TPE331-11V 7 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Abilene Regional · nearest airport
- Austin-Bergstrom International · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Texas 6,244 since 1982 · 1,062 in the last ten years
- Texas 29,979 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/FTW97IA120.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.