Swearingen SA-226TC accident near Billings, Montana, November 21, 1992
On November 21, 1992 at about 8:29 am local time, a Swearingen SA-226TC, registered N139PA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Billings, Montana (Billings Logan Internat. airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF A GEAR DOOR ROLLER, WHICH NECESSITATED A GEAR UP LANDING. FACTORS INCLUDE INADEQUATE LUBRICATION.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 21, 1992 · about 8:29 am local time
- Place
- Billings, Montana · Billings Logan Internat.
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Swearingen SA-226TC · all SA-226TCs on the register
- Registration
- N139PA · registry record · serial TC-296
- 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
AFTER GETTING A GEAR UNSAFE LIGHT ON THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR WHEN THE PILOTS ATTEMPTED TO EXTEND THE LANDING GEAR, THEY ELECTED TO FLY BACK TO THEIR MAINTENANCE FACILITY. AFTER REPEATED ATTEMPTS TO RECTIFY THE PROBLEM, THEY SUCCESSFULLY ACCOMPLISHED A PRECAUTIONARY GEAR UP LANDING. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR DOOR ROLLER WAS FRACTURED AND PREVENTED THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR FROM EXTENDING.
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: 8,851 hours in all; 2,821 in this make and model; 165 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 6,738 as pilot in command; 782 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 17,392 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, November 18, 1992; 13 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 12,500 lb
- Seats: 18
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett TPE-331-10UA (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Big Sky Transportation CO
The flight
- Departed from: SDY Sidney MT at 6:04 am
- Destination: ISN Williston ND
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 27, 10,528 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 180° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 27°F (-3°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:39 am from BIL, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.