ASN Aircraft accident Swearingen SA226-AT Merlin IV N31AT Detroit-Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, MI (DTW)
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Status:Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Date:Friday 15 December 1995
Time:04:23
Type:Silhouette image of generic SW4 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different
Swearingen SA226-AT Merlin IV
Operator:Air Transport Inc.
Registration: N31AT
MSN: AT-057
First flight: 1977
Total airframe hrs:6965
Engines: 2 Garrett TPE331-3U-330G
Crew:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Passengers:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0
Total:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage: Substantial
Aircraft fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location:Detroit-Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, MI (DTW) (   United States of America)
Phase: Landing (LDG)
Nature:Ferry/positioning
Departure airport:Flint-Bishop Airport, MI (FNT/KFNT), United States of America
Destination airport:Louisville International Airport, KY (SDF/KSDF), United States of America
Narrative:
Shortly after departing Flint, the airplane's left engine started to surge. The airplane also began experiencing intermittent electrical surges causing the instrument panel lights, cabin lights, and radios to go OFF and ON. The pilot stated that he decided to divert to Detroit and land because the airport had emergency equipment available. The pilot stated that he did not advise ATC of any problem while diverting because he believed that he could land without incident. The pilot did not attempt to secure the left engine before landing because it was still developing some usable power. The airplane landed on the runway gear up.

Probable Cause:

PROBABLE CAUSE: "The pilot's failure to extend the landing gear. A factor in the accident was the pilot's diverted attention."

Accident investigation:

cover
Investigating agency: NTSB
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 146 days (5 months)
Accident number: CHI96LA053
Download report: Summary report

Classification:
Gear-up landing
Runway mishap

Sources:
» NTSB id CHI96LA053


Photos

photo of Swearingen-SA226-AT-Merlin-IV-N31AT
accident date: 15-12-1995
type: Swearingen SA226-AT Merlin IV
registration: N31AT
 

Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Flint-Bishop Airport, MI to Louisville International Airport, KY as the crow flies is 555 km (347 miles).

This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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