- Date
- July 21, 2009, 07:30 local (13:30 UTC)
- Place
- New England, ND
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N2027KWeatherly 620B
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Loss of engine power (partial)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 28, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- Case key
- 74336
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 loss of engine power for undetermined reasons while maneuvering at low altitude.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot had completed the aerial application of a field and was planning to spray another agricultural field when the airplane experienced a partial loss of engine power. The pilot stated that when he applied engine power while executing a climbing right turn over the field, the engine lost power. His attempts to increase power with the throttle further reduced engine power. The pilot then executed a forced landing on a butte, which resulted in substantial damage to the airplane.
Factual narrative
The pilot had completed the aerial application of a field prior to spraying another agricultural field where the airplane experienced a partial loss of engine power. The pilot stated that when he applied engine power while executing a climbing right turn over the field, the engine lost power. Additional increases of the throttle control further reduced engine power. The pilot stated that had he not changed or reduced the throttle control setting, the engine would have not lost power. The pilot then executed a forced landing on a butte, which resulted in substantial damage to the airplane. The pilot was uninjured. No mechanical anomalies relating to the airplane were reported.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2027K
- Reported as
- Weatherly 620B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1577
- Airframe hours
- 2,398
- Engine
- Pratt & Whitney R-985AN-14B, 450 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Air Dakota Flite, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Air Dakota Flite, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 2, 2008
- Departed
- HEI · Hettinger, ND
- Destination
- New England, ND
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 67
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 27, 2009
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 17,831 total · 372 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Observed at
- OVA
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 28, 2009, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 531 KB in all.