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).
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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 October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 4, 1997 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Abilene, Texas · Abilene Regional
- 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.
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 FTW97IA120.