Swearingen SA226T Merlin crash, May 25, 1993 (4 killed)
Swearingen SA226T Merlin accident on May 25, 1993 near Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States with 4 fatalities. Cause: A poorly planned circling approach...
- Date: May 25, 1993
- Aircraft: Swearingen SA226T Merlin
- Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States
- Fatalities: 4
- Phase of flight: Approach and landing
- Cause: A poorly planned circling approach and failure to maintain adequate altitude, with a dark night and lack of visual reference as contributing factors.
A Merlin III on a Part 135 checkride training flight from Albuquerque was circling to land at Santa Fe at night. The crew lined up for the wrong runway, the pilot chose runway 15, and the aircraft struck a hill about 5 miles west of the airport near the minimum circling altitude. All four occupants died.