# NTSB FTW96LA167: Weatherly 620, N46139, Akron, CO, April 9, 1996 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: April 9, 1996, 13:30 local (19:30 UTC) - Place: Akron, CO - Coordinates: 40.159519, -103.209365 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.1595&lon=-103.2094&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Maneuvering](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/450) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report June 6, 1996 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 19801 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=FTW96LA167 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/19801/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW96LA167 ## Probable cause a total loss of engine power due to failure of the number 2 cylinder. A factor was the limited cockpit visibility due to windscreen damage and engine oil coating. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of engine power(total) - mech failure/malf, maneuvering - aerial application - engine assembly,cylinder - failure,total (cause) - Forced landing, emergency descent/landing - terrain condition - roadway/highway - visual lookout - not possible, pilot in command (contributing factor) - On ground/water collision with object, landing - roll - object - fence - ground loop/swerve - inadvertent, pilot in command ## Analysis During an aerial application flight swath run, the engine began to run rough followed by a total loss of power due to a cylinder failure. Part of the cylinder assembly came loose from the aircraft and penetrated the windscreen, and the windscreen became coated with engine oil. The pilot made an emergency landing on a road adjacent to the field. During landing roll, a wing tip struck a fence post and the aircraft ground looped into a ditch. ## Factual narrative On April 9, 1996, at 1330 mountain daylight time, a Weatherly 620, N46139, ground looped into a ditch during an emergency landing near Akron, Colorado. The commercial pilot was not injured and the aircraft sustained substantial damage. The flight was a local aerial application flight operating under Title 14 CFR Part 137 and no flight plan was filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight departed Akron at 1245. According to the pilot, while conducting a swath run, the engine started to run rough followed by a catastrophic failure of the number two cylinder, part of which penetrated the windscreen. The pilot said he attempted an emergency landing on a road next to the field he was spraying. During the landing roll, the aircraft ground looped into a ditch when a wing tip caught on a fence. Visibility from the cockpit was limited due to damage to the windscreen and oil which covered the surface. Inspection of the aircraft by an FAA inspector revealed that the number 2 cylinder separated at the mounting bolts and all bolts were pulled out. No evidence was found to indicate the reason for the cylinder failure. The logs indicated that the engine had been through overhaul 885 hours prior to the accident flight. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N46139](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N46139-2013-06-04), registration cancelled 2013-06-04, S/N 1510 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Weatherly 620 - Registry model: [Weatherly 620](https://openairdocs.org/model/weatherly-620) (registry code 9630602) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 1510 - Airframe hours: 2203 - Engines: P&W R-985-AN14B 450 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Aerial application, Part 137 - Registered owner: Akron Flying Service, Inc. - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Restricted (Special) - Last inspection: Annual, November 15, 1995, 52 hours before - Departed: AKO ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 44; commercial, flight instructor; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 2, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: center; flight hours: 3,700 total, 52 in this make and model, 3,600 as pilot in command, 100 in the last 90 days, 40 in the last 30 days, 1 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 72 °F, dew point 30 °F - Altimeter: 30.00 inHg - Observed at: AKO, 20 nm away ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 19960409006759A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19960409006759A), Apr 9, 1996: Wthrly 620, Akron, CO, Substantial damage. Engine failed, made an emergency landing, ground looped, ended up in a ditch. 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.