Swearingen 226T accident near Hamilton, New York, August 30, 1985
On August 30, 1985 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Swearingen 226T, registered N92RC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hamilton, New York (Hamilton airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 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 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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 30, 1985 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Hamilton, New York · Hamilton · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Swearingen 226T
- Registration
- N92RC · registry record
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT WAS ON APPROACH FOR LANDING AT HAMILTON, NEW YORK WHEN THE CROSS POWER LEVERS WERE PULLED BACK TO FLIGHT IDLE. THE LEFT PROP WENT INTO BETA MODE STALLING THE LEFT WING AT ABOUT 8 FEET ABOVE THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT ROLLED ABOUT 20 DEGREES TO THE LEFT, THEN FELL TO THE RUNWAY. AN INSPECTION VERIFIED THE POSIBILITY OF THE LEVER GOING BEYOND THE STOP. THE POWER LEVER INCORPORATES A SPRING LOADED GUARD WHICH ENGAGES A GATE ON THE QUARDRANT AT THE FLIGHT IDLE POSITION TO PREVENT MOVEMENT OF THE LEVER INTO GROUND OPERATING RANGE WHILE IN FLIGHT.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 950 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,600 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 28, 1985; 95 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 10,062 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Garrett TEP-331 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BGM Binghamton NY at 5:00 pm
- Destination: B24 Hamilton NY
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 35, 5,000 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 4:50 pm from UCA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 NYC85LA256.