- Date
- August 16, 1992, 07:19 local (14:19 UTC)
- Place
- Stockton, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N4623EWeatherly 620
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 26, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920816031329A
- Case key
- 27732
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 pilot's poor inflight planning and visual lookout.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
After completing an aerial application swath run the pilot elected to go under the high transmission wires but failed to observe the lower wires. The upper section of the vertical stabilizer struck the lower wires causing the vertical stabilizer and rudder to separate. The pilot flew the airplane to Stockton airport, but landed short because he was unable to maintain the proper descent rate. The pilot did not indicate that prior to commencing the swath run that he flew over the field to check for obstacles.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4623E
- Reported as
- Weatherly 620
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1517
- Airframe hours
- 1,950
- Engine
- P&W R-985, 450 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- James L. Copple
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 7, 1992 · 438 hours before
- Departed
- 103 · Lodi, CA
- Airport
- SCK · Stockton, runway 29L, 2,996 × 75 ft, asphalt
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
- 50
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 1,997 total · 1,138 in this make and model · 1,997 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 35 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SCK, 1 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.