Swearingen SA-226-TC accident near Hartford, Connecticut, August 17, 1993
On August 17, 1993 at about 6:25 am local time, a Swearingen SA-226-TC, registered N220KC, was destroyed in an accident near Hartford, Connecticut (Hartford-Brainard airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE COPILOT (SECOND-IN-COMMAND) TO FOLLOW THE CHECKLIST, ASSURE THE GEAR WAS EXTENDED FOR LANDING AND ATTAIN OR MAINTAIN ADEQUATE AIRSPEED (VMC); AND FAILURE OF THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND (PIC) TO PROPERLY SUPERVISE THE FLIGHT AND TAKE SUFFICIENT REMEDIAL ACTION.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 17, 1993 · about 6:25 am local time
- Place
- Hartford, Connecticut · Hartford-Brainard
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Swearingen SA-226-TC · all SA-226-TCs on the register
- Registration
- N220KC · registry record · serial TC-231
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ON AN APPROACH TO LAND AT THE DESTINATION, THE SECOND-IN-COMMAND (SIC) WAS FLYING THE AIRPLANE. THE PLANE TOUCHED DOWN WITH THE LANDING GEAR RETRACTED, & THE PROPELLER BLADES CONTACTED THE RUNWAY. THE SIC INITIATED A GO-AROUND (ABORTED LANDING). WITNESSES SAW THE AIRPLANE IN A STEEP LEFT BANK JUST BEFORE IMPACT IN A RIVER NEXT TO THE AIRPORT. PROPELLER STRIKES ON THE RUNWAY EXTENDED 380', INDICATING A TOUCHDOWN SPEED OF 96 KTS. THE LAST PROPELLER STRIKES ON THE RIGHT SIDE INDICATED A SPEED OF 86 KTS. THE LAST STRIKES ON THE LEFT SIDE INDICATED A SLOWING PROPELLER. PUBLISHED VMC FOR THE AIRPLANE WAS 94 KTS. THE CVR TAPE REVEALED THE CREW COMPLETED A DESCENT ARRIVAL CHECK, PERFORMED AN INCOMPLETE APPROACH BRIEFING, & DID NOT PERFORM A BEFORE LANDING CHECK. THE CVR REVEALED NO SOUND OF A GEAR WARNING HORN. COMPANY PERSONNEL STATED THAT THE CIRCUIT BREAKER FOR THE WARNING HORN HAD BEEN FOUND PULLED AT THE COMPLETION OF PREVIOUS FLIGHTS BY OTHER CREW; THIS WAS TO PREVENT A WARNING HORN FROM SOUNDING DURING A HIGH RATE OF DESCENT.
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, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,200 hours in all; 600 in this make and model; 186 in the last 90 days; 56 in the last 30 days; 4,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 16,710 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, July 27, 1993; 26 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 12,500 lb
- Seats: 21
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett TPE-331-3U (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FRG Farmingdale NY at 6:00 am
- Destination: HFD
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 2, 4,418 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 2.5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,500 ft; scat at 800 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:00 am from EHT, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.