Swearingen SA226 accident near Boise, Idaho, March 20, 2017
On March 20, 2017 at about 10:05 am local time, a 1981 Swearingen SA226, registered N158WA, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Boise, Idaho (Boise Air Terminal/Gowen Field). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Company maintenance personnel's failure to remove a screwdriver that was left lodged in the windshield wiper area of the forward fuselage during maintenance and subsequently became dislodged on takeoff/initial climb and collided with a left propeller blade.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 20, 2017 · about 10:05 am local time
- Place
- Boise, Idaho · Boise Air Terminal/Gowen Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Swearingen SA226 TC, built 1981 · all SA226s on the register
- Registration
- N158WA · registry record · serial TC411
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airline transport pilot reported that he performed a preflight inspection of the airplane before departing on the repositioning flight. The takeoff roll was normal; however, just after the airplane lifted off, he heard a "pop" and felt a vibration. The pilot initially thought that one of the tires had blown, but as the vibration continued, he determined that he might have a problem with one of the propellers. The pilot subsequently returned to the airport and landed without further incident. When the pilot shut down the left engine after landing, he noticed that the tip of one of the propeller blades was missing. Further examination of the blade revealed that about 4 inches of the blade tip had separated and penetrated the side of the fuselage. Airport personnel later found additional pieces of propeller blade material on the runway, as well as what appeared to be the blade of a screwdriver and pieces of the handle. Maintenance personnel reported that a mechanic had been working on the airplane just before the flight and had been called away from the task he was performing before it was completed; the airplane was subsequently returned to service. The mechanic left a screwdriver on the nose of the airplane in the windshield wiper area, in a position that the pilot could not see. It is likely that, during the takeoff roll, the screwdriver became dislodged from the area of the windshield wiper and impacted the left propeller.
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
What happened, in order
- Part(s) separation from AC during initial climb defining event
- Aircraft maintenance event during prior to flight
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Scheduled/routine maintenance › Maintenance personnel
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Post maintenance inspection › Maintenance personnel
- Organizational issues › Support/oversight/monitoring › Oversight › Oversight of maintenance › Operator
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,700 hours in all; 3,161 in this make and model; 37 in the last 90 days; 31 in the last 30 days; 7,919 as pilot in command; 431 on instruments
- Last flight review: January 31, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 28,602.9 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, March 4, 2017; 182 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 13,230 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Honeywell TPE-331-10UA (turboprop); 30,407 hours total
- Engine 2: Honeywell TPE-331-10UA (turboprop); 20,368 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BOI Boise ID at 10:05 am
- Destination: KAPA Denver CO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 10L, 10,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 170° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 12,000 ft; a few clouds at 6,500 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 am from BOI
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on July 17, 2018. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Record of FAA Inspector's Postaccident Examination Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photo Array of Components and Damage to Airplane | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.