Swearingen SA226TC METRO II accident near Fresno, California, August 27, 1985
On August 27, 1985 at about 5:28 pm local time, a Swearingen SA226TC METRO II, registered N139WW, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fresno, California. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 4 people had minor injuries; 13 others were unhurt. 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
- August 27, 1985 · about 5:28 pm local time
- Place
- Fresno, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people had minor injuries; 13 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Swearingen SA226TC METRO II SA226TC ME · all SA226TC METRO IIs on the register
- Registration
- N139WW · no longer on the register · serial TC413
- 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
WHILE IN CRUISE FLIGHT AT 16,000 FEET ONE OF THE THREE PROPELLER BLADES SEPARATED AT THE SHANK. THE UNBALANCED CONDITION TWISTED THE ENG FROM ITS MOUNTS AND INTO THE FUSELAGE. THE CABIN WAS PUNCTURED AND RAPID DECOMPRESSION FOLLOWED. THE CREW WAS ABLE TO CONTROL THE ACFT AND LAND WITHOUT FURTHER DAMAGE.
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: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,713 hours in all; 1,800 in this make and model; 280 in the last 90 days; 3,280 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,155 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, August 23, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 12,500 lb
- Seats: 22
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Airesearch TPE331-1QUA (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Wings West, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: LAX Los Angeles CA at 4:27 pm
- Destination: MCE Merced CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 pm from MCE, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 4 | 11 |
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.