Fairchild SA-227-AC incident near Seattle, Washington, January 23, 1989
On January 23, 1989 at about 9:44 pm local time, a Fairchild SA-227-AC, registered N386PH, suffered minor damage in an incident near Seattle, Washington (Seatac airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 14 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
INOPERATIVE NOSEWHEEL STEERING DUE TO IMPROPER MAINTENANCE. CONTRIBUTING TO THE INCIDENT WAS THE LACK OF ADEQUATE MAINTENANCE INFORMATION AVAILABLE IN THE AIRCRAFT MANUALS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 23, 1989 · about 9:44 pm local time
- Place
- Seattle, Washington · Seatac · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 14 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Fairchild SA-227-AC · all SA-227-ACs on the register
- Registration
- N386PH · no longer on the register · serial 597
- 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
WHILE ON TAKEOFF ROLL, THE CPT TURNED THE ELECTRIC NOSE WHEEL STEERING OFF. THE FIRST OFFICER, FLYING THE ACFT, ANNOUNCED AN UNCOMMANDED RIGHT YAW. THE CPT TOOK THE CONTROLS BUT WAS NOT ABLE TO BRING THE ACFT TO A HALT BEFORE DEPARTING THE SIDE OF THE RUNWAY. POST MISHAP TESTS REVEALED A MALFUNCTION OF THE NOSE WHEEL STEERING DUE TO IMPROPER REPLACEMENT OF VALVES IN THE HYDRAULIC STEERING ACTUATOR UNIT.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,500 hours in all; 3,000 in this make and model; 240 in the last 90 days; 80 in the last 30 days; 5,000 as pilot in command; 400 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,404 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, January 14, 1989; 52 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 14,500 lb
- Seats: 20
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Garrett TPE-331 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Garrett TPE-331 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Horizon Air
The flight
- Destination: PDX Portland OR
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 16, 11,900 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: ovct at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:51 pm from SEA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 12 |
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.