# NTSB FTW96LA241: Weatherly 620B, N2004L, Dumas, TX, June 8, 1996 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: June 8, 1996, 11:30 local (16:30 UTC) - Place: Dumas, TX - Coordinates: 35.859817, -101.960968 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.8598&lon=-101.9610&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report December 16, 1996 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 19857 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=FTW96LA241 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/19857/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW96LA241 ## Probable cause The failure of the right main gear torque link during landing roll as a result of its improper assembly by maintenance personnel. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Airframe/component/system failure/malfunction, landing - roll - landing gear,main gear strut scissors - failure (cause) - maintenance,installation - improper, other maintenance personnel (cause) - Loss of control - on ground/water, landing - roll - directional control - not possible, pilot in command ## Analysis When the aircraft returned from an application flight for landing, upon touch down, it began to nose over and veer to the right. The pilot 'pulled on the stick and got on the left brake,' but the airplane continued to veer right until it exited the runway. The pilot stated that 'when it got to the dirt it dug in and flipped over onto its back (top).' After the pilot got out of the airplane, he found the right main gear perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft and the right main gear torque link bolt broken. Post-crash examination by the manufacturer revealed that the right main gear torque link assembly had been improperly assembled during a field maintenance procedure. ## Factual narrative On June 8, 1996, at 1130 central daylight time, a Weatherly 620B, N2004L, was substantially damaged during landing at Moore County Airport in Dumas, Texas. The commercial pilot was not injured. The aircraft was registered to the First National Bank of West Texas and operated by a private owner under Title 14 CFR Part 137. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local aerial application flight which had originated at 1030. A flight plan had not been filed. The pilot reported the following information in the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report. When the aircraft returned from an application flight for landing, upon touch down, it began to nose over and veer to the right. The pilot "pulled on the stick and got on the left brake," but the airplane continued to veer right until it exited the runway. The pilot stated that "when it got to the dirt it dug in and flipped over onto its back (top)." After the pilot got out of the airplane, he found the right main gear perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the aircraft and the right main gear torque link bolt broken. Post-crash examination by the manufacturer revealed that the right main gear torque link assembly had been improperly assembled during a field maintenance procedure, approximately 50 flight hours earlier. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N2004L](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N2004L-2023-05-30), registration cancelled 2023-05-30, S/N 1556, built 1993 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Weatherly 620B - Registry model: [Weatherly 620B](https://openairdocs.org/model/weatherly-620b) (registry code 9630605) (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: 1556 - Airframe hours: 1300 - Engines: P&W R-985-AN 450 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Aerial application, Part 137 - Operator: David A. Ray - Registered owner: First National Bank West Texas - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Restricted (Special) - Departed: DUX - Airport: DUX, Moore County Airport, runway 1, 5,730 × 50 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 27; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 2, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; seat: front; flight hours: 1,500 total, 900 in this make and model, 1,400 as pilot in command, 150 in the last 90 days, 8 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 200° at 7 knots - Visibility: 15 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 70 °F, dew point 45 °F - Altimeter: 29.00 inHg - Observed at: DHT, 35 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 19960608013059A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19960608013059A), Jun 8, 1996: Wthrly 620, Dumas, TX, Substantial damage. Upon landing, landing gear assembly bolt failed and aircraft flipped over on its back. (-23) N2004L was returning empty from aerial application flight. After… 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.