Fairchild SA227 incident near Olympia, Washington, May 23, 1990
On May 23, 1990 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Fairchild SA227, registered N27442, suffered minor damage in an incident near Olympia, Washington. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). 1 person had minor injuries; 19 others were unhurt. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
DUE TO AN ICE BUILD-UP DEPARTING THE PROPELLER AND STRIKING THE CABIN WINDOW.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 23, 1990 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Olympia, Washington · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 19 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Fairchild SA227 · all SA227s on the register
- Registration
- N27442 · registry record · serial AC-750
- 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 DESCENDING FROM 14,000 FEET, THE SECOND ROW RIGHT SIDE CABIN WINDOW SUDDENLY BLEW OUT. AN EMERGENCY DESCENT WAS INITIATED TO THE AIRPORT WHERE THE AIRPLANE LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. THE WINDOW AND FRAME WERE INSPECTED AND NOTED THAT THE FRAME AND CONNECTING BOLTS APPEARED UNDAMAGED. TWO INDENTATIONS WERE NOTED ON THE FUSELAGE JUST FORWARD OF THE WINDOW AND AFT OF THE ICE PROTECTION PLATE. PASSENGERS REPORTED THAT PRIOR TO THE WINDOW BLOW OUT, LOUD BUMPS OR THUMPS WERE HEARD.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,100 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 675 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, May 17, 1990; 36 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 14,500 lb
- Seats: 20
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett TPE311 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Horizon Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: PDX Portland OR at 3:05 pm
- Destination: SEA Seattle WA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 17 |
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.