Fairchild SA227-AC incident near Spokane, Washington, May 17, 1995
On May 17, 1995 at about 1:30 pm local time, a Fairchild SA227-AC, registered N2727B, was involved in an incident near Spokane, Washington. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 17 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A SHORTED ELECTRICAL WIRING ON THE ELEVATOR TRIM SYSTEM.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 17, 1995 · about 1:30 pm local time
- Place
- Spokane, Washington
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 17 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Fairchild SA227-AC · all SA227-ACs on the register
- Registration
- N2727B · registry record · serial AC-730
- Damage
- Not recorded
- 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 FLIGHT CREW REPORTED THAT THERE WAS AN INTERMITTENT SONALERT FOR THE TRIM IN MOTION, HOWEVER, NEITHER THE TRIM INDICATOR NOR THE AIRCRAFT TRIM WERE AFFECTED AT THIS TIME. SOME MINUTES LATER, THE ELEVATOR TRIM BEGAN TO MOVE WITHOUT CREW INPUT. BOTH THE CAPTAIN AND THE CO-PILOT TRIED TO DEACTIVATE THE TRIM FROM THEIR CONTROL YOKE SWITCHES; HOWEVER, THE TRIM WOULD NOT DEACTIVATE UNTIL THE LEFT SIDE ESSENTIAL BUS WAS SELECTED OFF. THE AIRPLANE THEN LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. INSPECTION OF THE SYSTEM REVEALED THAT THE CAPTAIN'S SIDE TRIM POWER WIRE WAS SHORTED DIRECTLY TO THE LEFT SIDE ESSENTIAL BUS, AND THE JUMPER WIRE AT THE CAPTAIN'S YOKE TRIM (GROUND SIDE) SWITCH WAS SHORTED TO THE YOKE. AFTER THE WIRES WERE REPLACED, THE SYSTEMS OPERATION CHECKED OK.
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: 8,000 hours in all; 4,060 in this make and model; 180 in the last 90 days; 72 in the last 30 days; 7,200 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 15,127 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, May 8, 1995; 32 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 14,500 lb
- Seats: 19
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett TPE-331 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PDX Portland OR at 1:00 pm
- Destination: GEG WA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:50 pm from GEG
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 15 |
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.