- Date
- May 31, 2006, 15:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- Southampton, NJ
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N1281WWeatherly 201B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 31, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20060531021579A
- Case key
- 63854
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 failure of the engine's supercharger, which resulted in a loss of engine power, and subsequent forced landing.
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
The pilot was conducting his third aerial application flight of the day, when the airplane experienced a loss of engine power. The pilot attempted a forced landing to a field; however, during the landing, the airplane impacted shrubs and came to rest in a marsh area. Examination of the airplane's Pratt & Whitney R985-AN3 radial engine revealed that when the crankshaft was rotated by hand, thumb compression was attained on all cylinders; however, the supercharger did not rotate.
Factual narrative
On May 31, 2006, about 1530 eastern daylight time, a Weatherly 201B, N1281W, was substantially damaged during a forced landing, after it experienced a loss of engine power while maneuvering near Southampton, New Jersey. The certificated commercial pilot sustained minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the local aerial application flight that was conducted under 14 CFR Part 137.
According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the pilot was conducting his third aerial application of the day, when the airplane experienced a loss of engine power. The pilot attempted a forced landing to a field; however, during the landing, the airplane impacted shrubs and came to rest in a marsh area.
The airplane was manufactured in 1975, and equipped with a Pratt & Whitney R985-AN3 radial engine.
Examination of the engine by an FAA inspector revealed that when the crankshaft was rotated by hand, thumb compression was attained on all cylinders; however, the supercharger did not rotate. The carburetor was dissembled and no preimpact discrepancies were noted.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1281W
- Reported as
- Weatherly 201B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 635
- Airframe hours
- 826
- Engine
- Pratt & Whitney R985-AN3, 450 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Jersey Devil Dusters, llc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Departed
- NONE · South Hampton, NJ
- Destination
- Southampton, NJ
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
- 43
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Commercial, Sport Pilot
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 1, 2006
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 8,600 total · 400 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.10 inHg
- Observed at
- SMQ, 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.