- Date
- January 10, 1988, 10:17 local (15:17 UTC)
- Place
- Pontiac, MI
- Injuries
- 3 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N800AWFairchild SA226T
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 28, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Safety recommendations
- Yes
- FAA report
- 19880110069869A
- Case key
- 13928
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
Acft was scheduled for an instructional flt. During the wx briefing, the CFI told the fss specialist that the flt would include eng-out practice. Witness statements indicate that the acft rolled sharply to the rt and nosed down after attaining about 100 ft of alt during the climb after takeoff. The acft struck the ground left prop and left wing tip first, in an inverted flt attitude. During the post accident investigation, the rt eng pwr lever was subjected to lab exam and it was found that the lower aft part of the lift gate detent was worn. This created a ramping effect between the rounded edge of the lift gate and the flt idle stop. A worn lift gate detent would allow the power lever to inadvertently be moved into the beta range, causing asymmetrical drag and degraded airplane performance, particularly in critical phases of flight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N800AW
- Reported as
- Fairchild SA226T
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- T403
- Airframe hours
- 1,515
- Engine
- Garrett TPE-331-100, 840 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- American Service Corp.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · October 22, 1987 · 16 hours before
- Departed
- PTK · Pontiac, MI
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- PTK · Oakland Pontiac, runway 27L, 6,200 × 150 ft
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 54
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 22,000 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 7 °F, dew point 1 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PTK
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.