# NTSB CHI03LA134: Weatherly 620A, N4650W, Melville, ND, May 24, 2003 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Minor injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: May 23, 2003, 19:00 local (May 24, 2003, 00:00 UTC) - Place: Melville, ND - Coordinates: 47.333332, -99.033332 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=47.3333&lon=-99.0333&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Maneuvering](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/450) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Minor injuries - Injuries: 1 minor - Status: Completed, report November 25, 2003 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: FAA- Fargo FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 57042 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CHI03LA134 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/57042/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI03LA134 ## Probable cause The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the wires. The low altitude operation and the wires were contributing factors. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - In flight collision with object, maneuvering - aerial application - low altitude flight/maneuver - intentional, pilot in command (contributing factor) - altitude/clearance - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - object - wire,static (contributing factor) - In flight collision with terrain/water, maneuvering - aerial application ## Analysis The aircraft was substantially damaged following an in-flight collision with wires and, subsequently, the terrain during an aerial application pass. The pilot reported he got too close to a set of wires and they caught the wing. He stated that this collision took him over another set of wires and he subsequently impacted the ground. He reported no malfunctions with the aircraft or engine prior to the accident. ## Factual narrative On May 23, 2003, approximately 1900 central daylight time, a Weatherly 620A, N4650W, piloted by a commercial pilot, sustained substantial damage when it collided with wires and terrain while conducting an aerial application near Melville, North Dakota. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The aerial application flight was operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 137 without a flight plan. The pilot reported minor injuries. The flight departed from Carrington Municipal Airport (46D), Carrington, North Dakota, for the local flight. The pilot's written statement noted: "I knew the wires were there because I had been pulling up over them. The second pass I got too close ... and caught the wing in the wires." He reported that the collision took him over another set of wires and the aircraft subsequently impacted the ground in a wings level attitude. The pilot did not report any malfunctions with the aircraft or engine prior to the accident. The Federal Aviation Administration inspector on-scene reported that the aircraft's right wing was entangled in a wire. He estimated the height of the wires as 50 feet above ground level. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N4650W](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N4650W-2018-03-02), registration cancelled 2018-03-02, S/N 1539, built 1992 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Weatherly 620A - Registry model: [Weatherly 620A](https://openairdocs.org/model/weatherly-620a) (registry code 9630603) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Pratt & Whitney R-985 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-r-985-series) (registry code 52008, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 1539 - Airframe hours: 3673 - Engines: Pratt & Whitney R-985-AN-14B 450 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Aerial application, Part 137 - Registered owner: Foss & Meier Flight Service - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Restricted (Special) - Last inspection: Annual, April 1, 2003 - Departed: 46D, Carrington, ND ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 75; injuries: minor; commercial; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; last flight review November 6, 2002; seat: front; flight hours: 28,000 total, 1,200 in this make and model, 35 in the last 90 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 100° at 12 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 66 °F, dew point 45 °F - Altimeter: 30.11 inHg - Observed at: JMS, 28 nm away ## Other investigations on N4650W (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB ATL92LA154](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL92LA154), Aug 9, 1992: Weatherly 620A (N4650W), Cobb, GA, substantial damage. Probable cause: THE CORRODED, AND SEPARATED, MAGNETIC CHIP DETECTOR PLUG WHICH ALLOWED THE LOSS OF ALL ENGINE OIL AND THE ENGINE'S SUBSEQUENT SEIZURE. FACTORS WERE THE INADEQUATE 100 HOUR INSPECTION, AND THE HIGH… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.