- Date
- December 31, 1990, 10:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Kalispell, MT
- Injuries
- 15 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N385PHSwearingen SA-227
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 9, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19901231061889A
- Case key
- 41379
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 NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
The flight crew's inablity to maintain directional control after landing in snow-depth conditions that had been erroneously reported as being within operating limitations.
Analysis
The crew of the SA-227 commuter airliner lost dirctional control after landing in snow that was reportedly between five and ten inches deep. The crew had requested a snow-depth report, which was relayed to them by an airport snowplow operator, through the airline's operations personnel. The snow depth had been reported as one inch at that time. The aircraft drifted off the right side of the runway, causing substantial damage to the fuselage.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N385PH
- Reported as
- Swearingen SA-227
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- AC-595
- Engine
- Garrett TPE-331-11U, 1,000 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Horizon Airlines
- Registered owner
- Unknown
- Departed
- GEG · Spokane, WA
- Destination
- FCA · Kalispell, MT
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- FCA · Glacier Int'L, runway 2, 8,000 × 150 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 40
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 6,500 total · 1,230 in this make and model · 5,950 as pilot in command · 150 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 600 ft
- Temperature
- 18 °F, dew point 16 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FCA
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.