Fairchild SA-227AC accident near Hailey, Idaho, March 9, 1985
On March 9, 1985 at about 1:43 am local time, a Fairchild SA-227AC, registered N3115U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hailey, Idaho (Friedman Memorial airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 20 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 9, 1985 · about 1:43 am local time
- Place
- Hailey, Idaho · Friedman Memorial · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 20 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Fairchild SA-227AC · all SA-227ACs on the register
- Registration
- N3115U · no longer on the register · serial AC589
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ON LDG THE EXPERIENCED CAPTN ENCOUNTERED A RIGHT DRIFT ON THE DRY RWY WITH NEGLIGIBLE WINDS. RUDDER/PWR/NOSEWHEEL STEERING INPUTS WERE INSUFFICIENT TO REGAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL. RIGHT DRIFT TRANSLATED INTO A STRONG RIGHT SWERVE WITH CONTINUED APPLICATION OF FULL LEFT NOSEWHEEL STEERING AND SIMULTANEOUS BRAKING. ACFT DEPARTED RIGHT SIDE OF RWY AND NOSEWHEEL OBSERVED TRACKING STRAIGHT INTO SNOW & NO NOSEWHEEL SKID MARKS OBSERVED. TESTING REVEALED REDUCED NOSEWHEEL STEERING EFFECTIVENESS WITH DECREASING NOSE STRUT COMPRESSION DUE TO ENGAGEMENT OF CENTERING CAM. CAPTN REPORTED 'NOSE HIGH' TAXI ATTITUDE AND 'PITCH SENSITIVE' FLT. CAPTN/OTHER PLTS REPORTED DIFFICULTY ACHIEVING EQUAL BRAKING DURING CONDITIONS OF LARGE RUDDER PEDAL DISPLACEMENT. THIS CONDITION IS NOT ADDRESSED IN PLT/OPS MANUALS. CHECK OF BRAKE/NOSEWHEEL STEERING SYSTEMS REVEALED NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION.
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: 4,900 hours in all; 1,200 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 904 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 14,500 lb
- Seats: 20
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett TPE33111U611G (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Horizon Airlines, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: SLC Salt Lake City UT
- Destination: SUN Hailey ID
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 31, 6,600 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 300° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:17 am from SUN
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 18 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N3115U the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 SEA85LA070.