Fairchild SA227 incident near Missoula, Montana, November 17, 1994
On November 17, 1994 at about 1:35 pm local time, a Fairchild SA227, registered N380PH, suffered minor damage in an incident near Missoula, Montana. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FATIGUE FAILURE OF THE FIRST STAGE COMPRESSOR IMPELLER.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 17, 1994 · about 1:35 pm local time
- Place
- Missoula, Montana · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Fairchild SA227 · all SA227s on the register
- Registration
- N380PH · registry record · serial AC582
- 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 IN CRUISE FLIGHT, THE FIRST STAGE COMPRESSOR IMPELLER OF THE NUMBER TWO ENGINE EXPERIENCED A TOTAL FAILURE. THE CREW THEN ELECTED TO MAKE A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING AT AN ALTERNATE AIRPORT. A METALLURGICAL ANALYSIS REVEALED THAT THE IMPELLER HAD EXPERIENCED A LOW CYCLE FATIGUE FRACTURE.
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: 7,900 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 23,955 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, November 6, 1994; 82 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 14,500 lb
- Seats: 20
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett TPE331-114 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Horizon Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: HLN Helena MT at 1:15 pm
- Destination: GEG Spokane WA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 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.