Swearingen SA-226T N512FS

Summary

On 28 June 2003 at about 19:40 local time, a Swearingen SA-226T registered N512FS was involved in an accident near Goodnews, Alaska, United States. 10 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

28 June 2003 at 19:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Goodnews, Alaska, United States

Nearest airport

Goodnews (GNU)

Coordinates

59.1175, -161.5775

Aircraft

Swearingen SA-226T

Registration

N512FS

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Anchorage → Goodnews

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC03LA062

2 people had minor injuries.

The flight crew's inadequate evaluation of the weather conditions, which resulted in their inadequate compensation for the wind conditions, and subsequent undershoot. A contributing factor in the accident was a downdraft.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The captain, the non-flying pilot seated in the right seat, and the first officer, the flying pilot seated in the left seat, were landing a twin engine turboprop airplane at a remote airport at the conclusion of an air taxi flight. The flight was conducted on an IFR flight plan to a nearby airport, and then proceeded VFR, 9.5 miles to the destination airport that has a gravel surface runway, 2,835 feet long and 80 feet wide. The crew reported that a stabilized landing approach was conducted to runway 05 at a reference (REF) airspeed plus 10 knots, with a 5 knot crosswind. The copilot indicated that during the landing, the airplane encountered a severe downdraft and contacted the ground about 100 feet short of the runway threshold. The captain indicated a wind shear of 8 knots was encountered. The closest official weather observation station is located 32 nautical miles south of the accident site. It was reporting, in part: Wind, 180 degrees (true) at 16 knots, gusts to 26 knots. A passenger, who stated he was a meteorologist by training, reported the wind during the landing approach was a direct right crosswind between 12 and 15 knots, with gusts to 20 knots.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.