Fairchild SA-227 incident near Santa Monica, California, April 23, 1994
On April 23, 1994 at about 4:09 pm local time, a Fairchild SA-227, registered N27220, suffered minor damage in an incident near Santa Monica, California (Los Angeles Intl airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person had minor injuries; 19 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAA INADEQUATE SEPARATION STANDARDS BETWEEN LARGE AND HEAVY CATEGORY AIRCRAFT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 23, 1994 · about 4:09 pm local time
- Place
- Santa Monica, California · Los Angeles Intl · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 19 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Fairchild SA-227 · all SA-227s on the register
- Registration
- N27220 · no longer on the register · serial AC-718
- Damage
- Minor 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 DESCENDING INTO THE DOWNWIND LEG OF THE TRAFFIC PATTERN AT THE LOS ANGELES INTL AIRPORT, THE COMMUTER AIRPLANE ENCOUNTERED WAKE TURBULENCE FROM A PRECEDING BOEING 747-400, AND THE AIRPLANE ROLLED INVERTED. THE PILOT RECOVERED THE AIRPLANE, AND THE FLIGHT CONTINUED AND LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. THE AIRPLANE SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE. RADAR DATA SHOWED THAT THE CUMMUTER WAS APPROX 5 MI FROM THE B-747 UP TO AND AT THE TIME IT ENCOUNTERED THE TURBULENCE, WHICH MET CURRENT SEPARATION CRITERIA.
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 multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,513 hours in all; 1,909 in this make and model; 9,513 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 12,751 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, April 18, 1994; 33 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 14,500 lb
- Seats: 21
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett TPE-331-11 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Skywest Airlines, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: SMX Santa Maria CA at 3:30 pm
- Destination: LAX Los Angeles CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 1,200 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 pm from LAX, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 17 |
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 N27220 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.