- Date
- January 15, 1987, 12:52 local (19:52 UTC)
- Place
- Kearns, UT
- Injuries
- 10 fatal
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N163SWSwearingen SA-226TCN6485UMooney M-20C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 12, 1988
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 1
- NTSB office
- Major Investigations Division
- Safety recommendations
- Yes
- FAA reports
- 19870115081952A19870115081951A
- Case key
- 15871
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
The two acft, a swearingen SA-226TC and a Mooney M-20, collided in flt at aprx 7000 ft MSL in the salt lake city arpt (slc) radar service area over Kearns, UT. The SA-226 was approaching slc for lndg and the M-20 was conducting a local trng flt when the collision occurred. There is evidence that the SA-226 initiated evasive action in the final moments before the collision. There was also an exclamatory expletive on the radio at about the time the radar targets of the two acft merged. The final controller saw a radar target earlier that was possibly the M-20 but did not see it at the time of the collision. The M-20 had no mode-c transponder to help identify it on radar. The M-20 should not have been where it was without clearance. The plt of the SA-226 had been advised of another acft to its left and asked to reportsighting it. The M-20 approached the SA-226 from the right side. After the collision both of the acft descended to an uncontrolled crash. The weather at the time of the collision was VMC with visibility of 30 miles.
The two acft, a swearingen SA-226TC and a Mooney M-20, collided in flt at aprx 7000 ft MSL in the salt lake city arpt (slc) radar service area over Kearns, UT. The SA-226 was approaching slc for lndg and the M-20 was conducting a local trng flt when the collision occurred. There is evidence that the SA-226 initiated evasive action in the final moments before the collision. There was also an exclamatory expletive on the radio at about the time the radar targets of the two acft merged. The final controller saw a radar target earlier that was possibly the M-20 but did not see it at the time of the collision. The M-20 had no mode-c transponder to help identify it on radar. The M-20 should not have been where it was without clearance. The plt of the SA-226 had been advised of another acft to its left and asked to report sighting it. The M-20 approached the SA-226 from the right side. After the collision both of the acft descended to an uncontrolled crash. The weather at the time of the collision was VMC with visibility of 30 miles.
Aircraft · 2
- Registration
- N163SW
- Reported as
- Swearingen SA-226TC
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- TC327
- Airframe hours
- 15,116
- Engine
- Garrett TPE-331, 840 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Sky West Airlines Inc., doing business as Sky West Airlines/Western Expr
- Registered owner
- Gatx Leasing
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · January 14, 1987 · 3 hours before
- Departed
- PIH · Pocatello, ID
- Destination
- SLC · Salt Lake City, UT
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- runway 34L, 12,003 × 150 ft
- Registration
- N6485U
- Reported as
- Mooney M-20C
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2232
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Chester A. Baker
- Registered owner
- Dorsey D Edwards
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 2, 1986
- Departed
- U42 · W. Jordan, UT
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot, aircraft N163SW
- Age
- 38
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 2,885 total · 1,863 in this make and model · 3,043 as pilot in command · 230 in the last 90 days · 71 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot, aircraft N6485U
- Age
- 54
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 2,548 total · 242 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 15,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 25 °F, dew point 7 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SLC
FAA reports on this event · 2
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.