NTSB BFO88FA010 — 1987-12-17 · CHANTILLY, Virginia, United States

N23AZ has since been reassigned. It is now registered to a different aircraft (CESSNA A185F, built 1974), which was not involved in this event.

Aircraft involved

N23AZ Swearingen SA-226 Serious

Factual narrative

THE ACFT HAD DESCENDED THROUGH A CLOUD LAYER ENROUTE FOR THE SCHEDULED LNDG AT IAD AND ACCORDING TO THE CREW HAD PICKED UP SOME TRACE RIME ICE ON ITS WING SURFACES. ALTHOUGH PITOT AND SAS (STALL AVOIDANCE SYSTEM) HEAT WERE USED THE CAPTAIN ELECTED NOT TO USE ENGINE INLET ANTI-ICE. JUST INSIDE THE OUTER MARKER THE LEFT ENGINE LOST POWER FOLLOWED SHORTLY BY THE RIGHT ENGINE. THE CAPTAIN WAS ABLE TO SET THE ACFT DOWN IN AN OPEN FIELD WHERE THE GEAR COLLAPSED DURING THE LANDING ROLL. THE ENGINES WERE SUCCESSFULLY RUN-UP AT THE GARRETT FACILITY. THE FLT MANUAL CONTAINS A WARNING AND A NOTE STATING THAT ENGINE HEAT AND CONTINUOUS IGNITION MUST BE USED AFTER LEAVING ICING CONDITIONS UNTIL THE PLT IS CONFIDENT THAT ANY SIGNIFICANT RESIDUAL ICE WILL NOT BE INJESTED INTO THE ENGINES. ICE WAS FOUND LYING BENEATH THE RT WING WHICH MATCHED THE CURVATURE OF THE LEADING EDGE OF THE WING. A ROUND CONICAL SHAPED PIECE OF ICE WAS FOUND ALONG THE WRECKAGE PATH WHICH MATCHED THE NOSE OF THE PROPELLER SPINNER. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1987_BFO88FA010.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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Related research

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