Swearingen SA 226-TC accident near Jamaica, New York, January 15, 1982
On January 15, 1982 at about 2:09 pm local time, a Swearingen SA 226-TC, registered N341PL, was substantially damaged in an accident near Jamaica, New York (John F. Kennedy Int'L airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries; 12 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
- January 15, 1982 · about 2:09 pm local time
- Place
- Jamaica, New York · John F. Kennedy Int'L · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries; 12 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Swearingen SA 226-TC · all SA 226-TCs on the register
- Registration
- N341PL · no longer on the register · serial TC334
- 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
BEFORE N341PL STARTED TAKEOFF ON RUNWAY 31L, A BOEING 747 WAS CLEARED TO TAXI SOUTHEAST DOWN THE OUTER/PARALLEL TAXIWAY.THE TAXIWAY WAS 375 FT RIGHT OF THE RUNWAY CENTERLINE. THE 747 STOPPED MOMENTARILY, THEN TURNED 90 DEG LEFT ONTO TAXI- WAY KK. MEANWHILE, N341PL WAS CLEARED FOR AND BEGAN TAKING OFF. THE PILOT STATED HE SAW LIGHT SNOW BEHIND THE 747, BUT WAS NOT CONCERNED SINCE THE 747 HAD STOPPED. THE TOWER CONTROLLER AND ANOTHER WITNESS REPORTED AN INCREASING AMOUNT OF SNOW BEHIND THE 747 AS IT TURNED OFF THE OUTER TAXIWAY. AFTER LIFT-OFF THE PILOT REMAINED IN GROUND EFFECT WHILE ACCELERATING TO CLIMB SPEED. HE STATED HE WAS TRAINED TO USE THIS PROCEDURE ON ALL TAKEOFFS. THE PILOT STATED THAT AFTERHE CALLED FOR GEAR RETRACTION, HE ENTERED A WHITEOUT CONDITION, LEVELED HIS WINGS FROM A ROLL, AND ENCOUNTERED A DOWN- DRAFT. THE PLANE EMERGED FROM THE SNOW CLOUD AND STRUCK THE RUNWAY ABOUT 1100 FT BEFORE PASSING BEHIND THE 747. FLIGHT SAFETY INTL STATED THAT DURING GROUND/SIMULATOR TRAINING THEY RECOMMEND A POSITIVE RATE OF CLIMB IN IMC AND AT NIGHT.
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: 11,434 hours in all; 1,328 in this make and model; 241 in the last 90 days; 88 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,090 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 22 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 12,500 lb
- Seats: 17
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Airesearch TP-331 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Pocono Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: JFK Jamaica NY at 9:08 am
- Destination: AVP Scranton PA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 31L, 14,572 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 18 knots
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:15 am from JFK
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 2 | 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.
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.