Premium research interface

The modern interface for aviation safety intelligence.

Search investigations, review source evidence, monitor watched reports, and trace long-term patterns from one calm, data-first workspace.

63k+
Reports indexed
1940-2026
Coverage
Recent
Last data refresh
Featured Report

Loading…

Loading featured report…

Loading…
Open Report

Safety trends by operating rule

Track fatal and non-fatal accident patterns across Part 91, Part 135, and Part 121 operations.

Loading trend charts…

Browse the aviation graph

Move quickly by aircraft, airport, operator, and time with indexes built for research, not wandering.

Last Data Update

By Decade

By Month

Aircraft Manufacturer

More manufacturers

Airports

More airports

Operators

More operators

About

Aviation safety reports, made easier to study

NTSB Reports is an independent research and search tool for public aviation accident and incident records. It brings NTSB aviation reports, structured fields, docket files, extracted figures, photos, videos, and update history into one searchable interface.

The goal is practical safety education: make it faster to find relevant investigations, compare similar events, review factual records, and understand the evidence behind probable-cause and preliminary reports.

The investigative work and source records belong to the National Transportation Safety Board and the published investigation record. This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NTSB.

FAQs

NTSB Report

January 29, 2000 · Swearingen SA-227-AT · N245DH

Fayetteville, AR

Overview

Report Status
Final with probable cause
Event Type
Accident
Date
January 29, 2000
Injury Outcomes
No injuries (2 uninjured)
Location
Fayetteville, AR
Aircraft
Swearingen SA-227-AT
Tail Number
N245DH
Operator
Ameriflight
Injuries
None
Aircraft Damage
Substantial
NTSB Number
FTW00LA078

On departure for the night air taxi cargo flight, the flight crew experienced a problem with the crew intercom system. The crew initiated their descent at a 'later than normal distance' from the airport, and as a result, a power reduction below 25 percent torque was required, which set off the gear warning horn. The sound 'eventually became part of the background noise.' During the approach, the captain asked the tower to dim the runway lights. At that time, the runway and approach lights went out and the crew lost sight of the runway. While the captain was asking the tower to turn the lights back on, the first officer called 'gear down, syncs off, speeds high, below the line check list.' The captain did not hear the first officer's callout and did not lower the landing gear. The captain stated that he did not hear the first officer's callout 'either because of the conversation [he] was having with the tower or because of the intercom system difficulties.' As the approach continued, the first officer had a problem slowing the airplane to proper approach speed. The airplane touched down on the runway with the landing gear retracted, 'slid' about 2,500 feet and exited the left side of the runway.

NTSB Probable Cause

The flight crew's failure to extend the landing gear. Contributing factors were the flight crew's non-compliance with the checklist, the pilot-in-command's diverted attention as a result of the loss of instrument approach/runway lighting, the partial failure of the instrument approach/runway lighting system, and the partial failure of the intercom system.

Full Narrative

On January 28, 2000, at 2130 central standard time, a Swearingen SA-227-AT twin-engine airplane, N245DH, was substantially damaged during a wheels up landing at the Fayetteville Airport, Fayetteville, Arkansas. The airline transport pilot, acting as the captain, and the commercial pilot, acting as the first officer, were not injured. The airplane was registered to Banc of America Leasing & Capital LLC of San Francisco, California, and operated by Ameriflight, Inc., of Burbank, California. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 air taxi cargo flight. The flight originated from Tulsa, Oklahoma, and was terminating at the time of the accident. According to the 4,116-hour captain, the crew experienced a problem with the crew intercom system during departure, and the first officer (flying pilot) had to "repeat his requests three or four times" before the captain could hear him. The crew decided they would notify the maintenance personnel when they arrived at their destination. The captain reported that air traffic control issued a clearance to descend to 3,000 feet "at pilot's discretion." The crew initiated their descent at a "later than normal distance" from the airport. The first officer needed to reduce the power below 25 percent torque in order to expedite the descent, which set off the gear warning horn. The sound "eventually became part of the background noise." The captain added that at 2 miles from the final approach fix (FAF), he asked the tower to dim the runway lights. At that time, the runway and approach lights went out and the crew lost sight of the runway. While the captain was asking the tower to turn the lights back on, the first officer called "gear down, syncs off, speeds high, below the line check list." The captain did not hear the first officer's callout and did not lower the landing gear. The captain stated that he did not hear the first officer's callout "either because of the conversation [he] was having with the tower or because of the intercom difficulties." As the approach continued, the first officer had a problem slowing the airplane to proper approach speed. The airplane touched down on the runway with the landing gear retracted, "slid" approximately 2,500 feet and exited the left side of the runway. According to the FAA inspector, who examined the airplane, two pressure bulkheads were structurally damaged.

Flight

Event TypeAccident
Event Time21:30 CST
Nearest AirportFayetteville Drake Field (0nm)
Runway16
Runway Length6006 ft
Runway Width100 ft
Flight Plan FiledIFR
Aircraft FireNo
Aircraft ExplosionNo

Aircraft

AircraftSwearingen SA-227-AT
Tail NumberN245DH
Aircraft CategoryAir
DamageSubstantial
OperatorAmeriflight
Operating RulePart 135
Engines2
Engine TypeTurboprop
Engine DetailsGarrett · TPE331 · Turboprop · 1000
Seats3

People & Injuries

Injury SummaryNo injuries (2 uninjured)
Fatal0
Serious0
Minor0
Uninjured2
Total2
Crew 1Age 31 · Second Class

Conditions

ConditionsVMC
LightDark Night
Wind50° @ 5 kt
Visibility8 sm
CeilingOvercast 3100 ft
Temperature / Dew Point25 C / 19 C
Altimeter30.00 inHg
Observation Time04:53
Weather SourceWFAC

Appendix: Source Data