Fairchild SA227AC N27220
1 April 1990 · Panoche, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 1 April 1990 at about 15:00 local time, a Fairchild SA227AC registered N27220, operated by Skywest Airlines Inc., was involved in an accident near Panoche, California, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 15:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Panoche, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 36.8910, -121.2399
- Aircraft
- Fairchild SA227AC
- Registration
- N27220
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Skywest Airlines Inc.
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Positioning
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Sacramneto → Santa Barbara
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX90LA141
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
THE PILOT'S POOR JUDGMENT IN ATTEMPTING A FLIGHT WHILE BEING FATIGUED DUE TO THE LACK OF SLEEP WHICH RESULTED IN A LOSS OF CONTROL AND SUBSEQUENT OVERSTRESSING OF THE AIRPLANE.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE COMMUTER AIR CARRIER CAPTAIN'S LAST SCHEDULED FLIGHT HAD TERMINATED IN SACRAMENTO ON 3/31. HE INFORMED HIS CARRIER THAT HE WOULD LIKE TO BE LOCATED IN THE LOS ANGELES OR SANTA BARBARA AREA BY 4/1. THEY OFFERED THE AIRPLANE WHICH NEEDED TO BE REPOSITIONED TO SANTA BARBARA. HE HAD NEVER PILOTED THE AIRPLANE SOLO, BUT DID NOT WANT TO WAIT FOR A CO-PILOT. THE PILOT STATED HE CLIMBED TO 17,500 FT, TRIMMED THE AIRPLANE FOR CRUISE FLIGHT, AND 'DOZED OFF' SEVERAL TIMES. WHEN HE LAST AWOKE THE AIRPLANE WAS DESCENDING AT OVER 300 KTS (VNE IS 246 KTS). HE WAS ONLY ABLE TO RECOVER USING ELECTRIC TRIM. THE UPPER WING SKIN PANEL DAMAGE WAS LATER OBSERVED BY A PASSENGER ON A SUBSEQUENT FLIGHT. ACCORDING TO THE AIRPLANE'S MANUFACTURER, THE AIRPLANE WOULD HAVE HAD TO EXPERIENCE A CALCULATED LOAD FACTOR OF 7.8 G'S TO SUSTAIN THE OBSERVED DAMAGE TO THE WING SKIN PANELS, STRINGERS AND MAIN SPARS. THE PILOT STATED HE HAD ONLY SLEPT 1-1/2 TO 2 HRS DURING THE PRECEDING 24-HR PERIOD.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Fairchild SA227AC accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Jan 1989 | Fairchild SA227AC | Los Angeles, California, United States | Skywest Airlines | Minor injuries | - |
| 29 Jan 1988 | Fairchild SA227AC | S. Lake Tahoe, California, United States | Wings West Airline | No injuries | - |
| 25 Jun 1996 | Fairchild SA227AC | Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States | Mesaba Airlines | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Apr 1990 | Cessna 180 | Soledad, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 10 Oct 1990 | Cessna 150 | Riverside, California, United States | PAR Flight | No injuries | - |
| 17 Apr 1990 | Piper PA46 | Paso Robles, California, United States | Piper Aircraft Corp. | No injuries | - |
| 7 Oct 1990 | Cessna 182M | Bakersfield, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 1 Apr 1990 | Piper J-3 | Creston, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 11 Oct 1990 | Bell 47G4 | Merced, California, United States | John W. Myers | Serious injuries | - |