Fairchild SA-227 incident near Pasco, Washington, April 16, 1995
On April 16, 1995 at about 3:05 pm local time, a Fairchild SA-227, registered N385PH, suffered minor damage in an incident near Pasco, Washington. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 7 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
IMPROPER INSTALLATION OF THE RUDDER TRIM ACTUATOR ROD BY COMPANY MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL WHICH RESULTED IN BINDING AND FRACTURE OF THE ROD.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 16, 1995 · about 3:05 pm local time · cases in 1995
- Place
- Pasco, Washington · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 7 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Fairchild SA-227 · all SA-227s on the register
- Registration
- N385PH · registry record · serial AC-595
- 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
DURING CLIMB OUT, THE CREW NOTICED AN UNUSUAL AIRFRAME VIBRATION, AND RETURNED TO THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT. FAA INSPECTORS DETERMINED THAT THE RUDDER TRIM ACTUATOR ROD HAD BEEN IMPROPERLY INSTALLED, ALLOWING IT TO BIND AND EVENTUALLY 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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,950 hours in all; 567 in this make and model; 89 in the last 90 days; 23 in the last 30 days; 2,686 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 23,609 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 26, 1995; 85 hours since
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett TPE331-11U-61 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Horizon Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: PSC at 4:03 pm
- Destination: PDX Portland OR
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 5 |
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 N385PH the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N385PH on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Fairchild SA227 86 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Fairchild 616 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Garrett TPE331-11U-61 7 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Tri-Cities Airport · departed from
- Portland International · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Washington 2,713 since 1982 · 362 in the last ten years
- Washington 10,644 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N385PH 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/SEA95IA082.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.