Swearingen SA227-TT accident near Tupelo, Mississippi, June 23, 1991
On June 23, 1991 at about 10:22 pm local time, a Swearingen SA227-TT, registered N13JV, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tupelo, Mississippi (Tupelo Municipal airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 7 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 IMPROPER INSTALLATION OF THE NOSE STEERING ACTUATOR ARMING VALVE BY A MECHANIC WHICH RESULTED IN FAILURE OF THE ACTUATOR AND ON GROUND LOSS OF DIRECTIONAL CONTROL BY THE PILOT DURING LANDING ROLLOUT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 23, 1991 · about 10:22 pm local time
- Place
- Tupelo, Mississippi · Tupelo Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 7 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Swearingen SA227-TT · all SA227-TTs on the register
- Registration
- N13JV · no longer on the register · serial TT512A
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACFT MADE SHARP RIGHT TURN AND DEPARTED RUNWAY WHEN NOSE STEERING WAS ACTIVATED DURING LANDING ROLLOUT. POST ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REVEALED THE NOSE STEERING ACTUATOR HAD MALFUNCTIONED. THE UNIT'S ARMING VALVE WAS BACKED OUT AND NOT SECURED BY A REQUIRED SET SCREW. THE SEATS FOR THE VALVE WERE THE INCORRECT SEATS. THESE TWO FINDINGS CAUSED THE ACTUATOR TO HAVE INTERNAL LEAKAGE WHICH RESULTED IN FAILURE OF THE ACTUATOR. LOGBOOK RECORDS INDICATED THE ARMING VALVE WAS CHANGED BY A MECHANIC IN THE FIELD IN SEPTEMBER 1988, 401 FLT HOURS BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. IN APRIL 1989, FAIRCHILD AIRCRAFT ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN THAT REQUIRED THE ACTUATOR BE RETURNED TO THE MANUFACTURER FOR REPLACEMENT OF THE ARMING VALVE.
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, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 17,000 hours in all; 704 in this make and model; 48 in the last 90 days; 23 in the last 30 days; 14,000 as pilot in command; 2,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,241 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, May 15, 1991; 29 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 13,200 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett TPE-331 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FPR Ft. Pierce FL at 7:50 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 18, 5,499 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,800 ft; scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:22 pm from TUP, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 6 |
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 MIA91LA167.