- Date
- July 19, 2017, 18:45 local (22:45 UTC)
- Place
- Pemberton Twp, NJ
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N9270WWeatherly 620
- Defining event
- Landing: Collision during takeoff/land
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 17, 2017
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20170719007229A
- Case key
- 95618
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
An in-flight collision with a bird during takeoff, which resulted in a partial loss of engine power and subsequent collision with trees and terrain.
Findings · 1
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
According to the pilot, during takeoff, when the agricultural application airplane was about 15 ft above ground level, he noticed a decrease in engine performance, verified that the engine controls were full forward, and turned the fuel boost pump on. He dropped the hopper load; however, the airplane's performance continued to decrease. The pilot chose to land the airplane straight ahead, and the airplane impacted trees before coming to rest inverted in a bog. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the fuselage and wings. Further, after the airplane was removed from the bog, the Federal Aviation Administration inspector who responded to the accident found feathers associated with a Canada goose near the engine and damaged propeller. According to the pilot, there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
According to the pilot, during takeoff, when the aerial application airplane was about 15 feet above ground level, he noticed a decrease in engine performance, verified that the engine controls were full forward and turned the fuel boost pump ON. He dropped the hopper load, however the airplane performance continued to decrease. The pilot elected to land the airplane straight-ahead and the airplane impacted trees prior to coming to rest inverted in a bog. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the fuselage and wings. Furthermore, after the airplane was removed from the bog, the Federal Aviation Administration inspector who responded to the accident found feathers associated with a Canadian goose in the vicinity of the engine and damaged propeller. According to the pilot there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9270W
- Reported as
- Weatherly 620 (UNDESIGNAT)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1505
- Built
- 1980
- Airframe hours
- 6,698
- Engine
- Pratt & Whitney R-985 Series, 450 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Jersey Devil Dusters LLC
- Registered owner
- Jersey Devil Dusters LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 10, 2016
- Departed
- PVT · Pemberton Twp, NJ
- Destination
- PVT · Pemberton Twp, NJ
- Airport
- PVT · AG Air Strip - Rake Pond Farms, runway PVT, 2,100 × 100 ft, grass/turf
- Equipment
- Stall warning system
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
- 53
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor, Flight engineer, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 10, 2017
- Seat
- Single
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 17,330 total · 1,525 in this make and model · 6,500 as pilot in command · 110 in the last 90 days · 65 in the last 30 days · 0.5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 290° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 91 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.94 inHg
- Observed at
- WRI, 5 nm away
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 21, 2017, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 915 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.