Swearingen SA226 accident near Hutchinson, Kansas, May 20, 1986
On May 20, 1986 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Swearingen SA226, registered N514SS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hutchinson, Kansas (Hutchinson airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 8 people were on board or involved. 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
- May 20, 1986 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Hutchinson, Kansas · Hutchinson · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 8 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Swearingen SA226 · all SA226s on the register
- Registration
- N514SS · no longer on the register · serial TC-207
- 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
THE CAPT RPRTD THAT DURING ARRIVAL, THE APCH SEEMED NORMAL UNTIL HE FLARED TO LAND ON RWY 17. AT THAT TIME, HE HEARD A LOUD 'POP' AS THE LANDING GEAR CONTACTED THE RWY SURFACE. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE LEFT MAIN GEAR COLLAPSED & THE ACFT VEERED OFF THE RWY. AN EXAM REVEALED THAT THE LEFT MAIN GEAR HAD FAILED WHEN IT HIT A 6 INCH LIP AT THE APCH END OF THE ASPHALT RWY DURING TOUCHDOWN. ACCORDING TO 14 CFR 139.43, THE RWY LIP SHOULD NOT EXCEED 3 INCHES.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,402 hours in all; 1,315 in this make and model; 160 in the last 90 days; 2,464 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, May 17, 1986; 17 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 12,500 lb
- Seats: 17
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Airesearch TPE-331 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ICT Wichita KS at 8:45 pm
- Destination: HUT
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 17, 4,250 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; not recorded at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:55 pm from HUT
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| 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.
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.