Swearingen SA-226TC incident near Klamath Falls, Oregon, December 23, 1982
On December 23, 1982 at about 1:49 am local time, a Swearingen SA-226TC, registered N5475M, suffered minor damage in an incident near Klamath Falls, Oregon (Kingsley Field). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 11 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 23, 1982 · about 1:49 am local time
- Place
- Klamath Falls, Oregon · Kingsley Field · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 11 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Swearingen SA-226TC · all SA-226TCs on the register
- Registration
- N5475M · no longer on the register · serial TC296
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING TAKEOFF ON RUNWAY 14 WITH THE WINDS FROM 310 DEG AT 17 KNOTS, SATISFACTORY ACCELERATION OCCURRED THROUGH 70 KNOTS FOLLOWED BY A SLOWING RATE OF ACCELERATION AT 80 KNOTS. THE CAPTAIN THEN REDUCED POWER AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER FELT THE LEFT MAIN TIRES STRIKE SOMETHING AND THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN A LEFT YAW. ATTEMPTS TO REGAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL WERE UNSUCCESSFUL AN N5475M ROLLED OFF THE EAST SIDE OF THE RUNWAY AND STRUCK A SNOWBANK. THE CREW SHUT DOWN THE ENGINES AND EVACUATED THE PASSENGERS. THE DOWNWIND TAKEOFF WAS NECESSITATED BY VISIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEPARTURE.
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
- Flight time: 7,978 hours in all; 3,783 in this make and model; 235 in the last 90 days; 78 in the last 30 days; 7,449 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,112 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 24 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 12,500 lb
- Seats: 19
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett TPG331-3 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Gatx Third Aircraft CORP.
The flight
- Departed from: Klamath Falls OR at 5:48 pm
- Destination: C Medford OR
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 14, 10,301 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 310° at 17 knots
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 9 |
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.