- Date
- January 3, 1994, 19:27 local (Jan 4, 1994, 00:27 UTC)
- Place
- Richmond Height, OH
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N999MMSwearingen SA-226T
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report November 18, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19940103015659A
- Case key
- 38726
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's loss of directional control during landing, resulting in a departure from the runway and the subsequent encounter with soft terrain and collapse of the nose gear. A factor related to the accident was the icy runway conditions.
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 pilot initiated the ILS approach to runway 05, which was covered with ice and snow. He stated that 'everything looked good to me at touchdown.' The airplane veered to the left. He said that it may have 'yawed first then slid not sure...' He tried to steer the airplane back to the runway centerline, but he was unable to control the direction. The airplane 'made a very sharp left turn [and] left the runway.' The nose wheel collapsed when it encountered soft terrain. The pilot reported the wind was from 060 degrees at 10 knots.
Factual narrative
On Monday, January 3, 1994, at 1927 eastern standard time, a Swearingen SA-226T, N999MM, registered to Planned Residential Communities, Inc., and piloted by Joseph Genna, sustained substantial damage during a landing at the Cuyahoga County Airport, Richmond Heights, Ohio. The pilot and passenger were not injured. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and an IFR flight plan had been filed. The flight was being conducted under 14 CFR 91.
The pilot stated that he was advised by the control tower that the runway was icy and covered with snow, but that it had been sanded. He said that he saw runway 05 approximately 2 miles from touchdown. He stated, "Everything looked good to me at touchdown. [I] went to flight idle [and] at this time the [airplane] went to the left very rapidly." He tried to correct the left drift of the airplane, but he was unable to maintain the airplane on the runway. It departed the left side of the runway. The nose gear collapsed when the airplane collided with soft snow and terrain.
The pilot reported that the winds were from 060 degrees at 10 knots.
Mr. Robert Taylor, Principal Maintenance Inspector for the Federal Aviation Administration, examined the wreckage on January 4, 1994. In his report, Mr Taylor stated, "[The] nose section was buckled from the nose cone to the pressure bulkhead....The...bulkhead was badly buckled."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N999MM
- Reported as
- Swearingen SA-226T
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- T-309
- Airframe hours
- 2,943
- Engine
- Garrett TPE-331, 900 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Planned Residential, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · September 27, 1993 · 69 hours before
- Departed
- BLM · Allaire Airport, NJ
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- CGF · Cuyahoga County Airport, runway 5, 5,101 × 100 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 53
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 10,102 total · 2,048 in this make and model · 9,799 as pilot in command · 77 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 60° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 2 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,200 ft broken
- Temperature
- 28 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.