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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 29, 1984 · about 11:20 pm local time · cases in 1984
- Place
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · Philadelphia · cases near this airport
- 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
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 8 |
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N99JW on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Swearingen SA-226 48 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Swearingen 88 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Airesearch TPE-331 4 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Philadelphia International · nearest airport
- Patrick Leahy Burlington International · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Pennsylvania 1,836 since 1982 · 234 in the last ten years
- Pennsylvania 6,195 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/NYC84LA079.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.