The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Accidents · NTSB NYC84LA079 · Preliminary: the investigation is not finished

Swearingen SA-226T accident near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, January 29, 1984

On January 29, 1984 at about 11:20 pm local time, a Swearingen SA-226T, registered N99JW, was substantially damaged in an accident near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 9 people were on board or involved. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.

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 29, 1984 · about 11:20 pm local time
Place
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · Philadelphia
Type
Accident
Injuries
No one was hurt; 9 people were on board or involved.
Weather
conditions the NTSB did not record
Aircraft
Swearingen SA-226T · all SA-226Ts on the register
Registration
N99JW · registry record · serial SA-226
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

THE PLT BROKE OUT OF THE OVERCAST AT 1000 FT LOWERED FLAPS AND LANDED THE ACFT WITH THE GEAR RETRACTED. THE PLT SAID HE HAD LOWERED THE GEAR. THE GEAR WARNING HORN REPORTEDLY DID NOT SOUND.

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; rotorcraft: glider
  • Flight time: 6,510 hours in all; 576 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 6,510 as pilot in command
  • Medical certificate: None (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
  • Seat: unk

The aircraft

  • Last inspection: annual inspection, December 1, 1983; 1 hours since
  • Maximum gross weight: 12,500 lb
  • Seats: 8
  • Landing gear: retractable
  • Engine: Airesearch TPE-331 (turboprop); 0 hours total

The flight

  • Departed from: BTV Burlington VT at 10:00 pm
  • Destination: PHL Philadelphia PA
  • Flight plan: IFR
  • Runway 17, 5,460 ft by 150 ft

Weather at the time

  • Light: dusk
  • Wind: from 270° at 5 knots
  • Visibility: 2 statute miles
  • Sky: overcast at 1,000 ft; not recorded
  • Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
  • Altimeter: 29.00 inHg

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Crew1
Passengers8

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.