Swearingen SA226TC accident near Boise, Idaho, November 9, 2004
On November 9, 2004 at about 11:20 am local time, a Swearingen SA226TC, registered N162WA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Boise, Idaho (Boise Air Terminal /Gowen Fld/ airport). It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain the required glidepath, and his failure to maintain obstacle clearance after visual contact with the runway during the instrument approach.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 9, 2004 · about 11:20 am local time
- Place
- Boise, Idaho · Boise Air Terminal /Gowen Fld/ · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Swearingen SA226TC · all SA226TCs on the register
- Registration
- N162WA · no longer on the register · serial TL-418
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a night instrument landing system (ILS) approach to minimums, the airplane collided with the runways approach lighting system. In a written report the pilot stated that during the transition from instruments to visual references he "apparently went below the glide slope and took out two approach lights." The weather conditions recorded 16 minutes after the time of the accident were: visibility 1/4 statute mile in fog; scattered clouds at 100 feet AGL (above ground level); overcast skies at 600 feet AGL. The published decision height/altitude for the straight-in ILS runway 10R approach at Boise is 3,036 feet above mean sea level (200 feet AGL). The published minimum visibility for a straight-in ILS approach is 1/2 mile or an RVR of 1,800 feet.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 25,000 hours in all; 5,000 in this make and model; 132 in the last 90 days; 48 in the last 30 days; 25,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme
- Maximum gross weight: 13,230 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Garrett TPE-331 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Garrett TPE-331 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Transportation Syatems Inc
The flight
- Departed from: SLC Salt Lake City UT at 10:10 am
- Destination: BOI Boise ID
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 10R, 9,763 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: at 0 knots
- Visibility: 0.2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 600 ft; scat at 100 ft
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 11:36 am from BOI
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.
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.