Swearingen SA-26AT accident near Monongahela, Pennsylvania, October 12, 1990
On October 12, 1990 at about 7:45 pm local time, a Swearingen SA-26AT, registered N690X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Monongahela, Pennsylvania (Rostraver airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S INADEQUATE MONITORING OF THE FUEL BURN WHICH RESULTED IN TOTAL FUEL EXHAUSTION. FACTORS WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE PILOT'S LIMITED EXPERIENCE IN THE MAKE AND MODEL OF AIRPLANE, AN ERRONEOUS FUEL QUANTITY INDICATION, AND THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO REFUEL THE AIRPLANE DUE TO PRESSURE FROM THE OWNER TO NOT ADD FUEL.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 12, 1990 · about 7:45 pm local time
- Place
- Monongahela, Pennsylvania · Rostraver · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Swearingen SA-26AT · all SA-26ATs on the register
- Registration
- N690X · no longer on the register · serial T26-141
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLIGHT WAS FROM MONONGAHELA TO PITTSBURGH TO TETERBORO,NJ, THEN RETURN TO PITTSBURGH AND BACK TO MONONGAHELA. THE FLIGHT DEPARTED MONONGAHELA WITH 100 GALS OF FUEL; 160 GALS WERE ADDED AT PITTSBURGH; AND 80 GALS WERE ADDED AT TETERBORO. THE PILOT WANTED TO ADD MORE FUEL AT TETERBORO BUT THE OWNER DID NOT DUE TO THE HIGHER COST OF FUEL AND THE FUEL GAGE INDICATIONS. DURING THE RETURN TRIP NO FUEL WAS ADDED AT PITTSBURGH BECAUSE THE PILOT DID NOT HAVE A CREDIT CARD PROVIDED BY THE OWNER OR MONEY TO BUY FUEL. THE FLIGHT EXPERIENCED A TWO-ENGINE POWER LOSS DUE TO FUEL EXHAUSTION WHILE APPROACHING THE MONONGAHELA AIRPORT. SUBSEQUENT EXAMINATION OF THE COCKPIT FUEL GAGES SHOWED A TOTAL OF 125 GALS IN THE LEFT TANK AND 90 GALS IN THE RIGHT TANK; THE READING REMAINED THE SAME WITH OR WITHOUT POWER.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,525 hours in all; 21 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 7,244 as pilot in command; 3,018 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 10,000 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett TPE-331-1-151 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PIT Pittsburgh PA at 8:40 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,800 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 NYC91LA010.