Weatherly 201C N9228W

Summary

On 30 June 2000 at about 12:05 local time, a Weatherly 201C registered N9228W was involved in an accident near Tolna, North Dakota, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

30 June 2000 at 12:05

Classification

Accident

Location

Tolna, North Dakota, United States

Coordinates

47.8206, -98.4302

Aircraft

Weatherly 201C

Registration

N9228W

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI00LA178

1 person died.

the wing spar fatigue and wing separation while maneuvering. A factor was that the fatigue was not detected by the mechanic during the last annual inspection.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane was destroyed by impact with terrain while maneuvering. The right wing was found detached and was found on the township road. A post crash fire occurred in the fuselage and left wing. The North Dakota Highway Patrol report stated, "The wing came off the plane and the plane then crashed approx. 396' west of the township road in a field of flax. The plane came to rest and was burning approx 471' west of the township road." The pilot sustained fatal injuries. The annual inspection was completed on May 1, 2000. The airplane had 343 hours since its last annual inspection and "5,400+" hours total time. Sections of the separated right wing and its mating surface were cut away and shipped to the NTSB's Materials Laboratory for detailed examination. Crack arrest lines and striations were found in the fracture area. Corrosion was observed on portions of the spar cap fracture surface. Circumferential grooves were observed. The upper and lower sides of the spar cap hole and adjacent fracture surfaces using scanning electron microscopy indicate fatigue origins initiating from corrosion pits on the hole surface. Subsequent to the accident the manufacturer issued a mandatory service bulletin to inspect the spar for cracks before the next flight and subsequent inspections accomplished at intervals no greater than 500 hours of flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.