Weatherly 620B N90181

Summary

On 30 July 2011 at about 15:00 local time, a Weatherly 620B registered N90181, operated by Air Dakota Flite, was involved in an accident near Hettinger, North Dakota, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

30 July 2011 at 15:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Hettinger, North Dakota, United States

Coordinates

46.0156, -102.6556

Aircraft

Weatherly 620B

Registration

N90181

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Air Dakota Flite

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Hettinger → Hettinger

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN11LA541

Nobody was injured.

Internal failure of the engine for undetermined reasons.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The agricultural airplane was maneuvering at 500 feet above ground level when the engine lost power, and oil immediately covered the windscreen. During the forced landing, the airplane impacted a dirt berm and came to rest in a ditch. A postaccident examination of the engine showed a hole in the side of the No. 5 cylinder, which is located at the bottom of the engine. The examination also revealed that several of the connecting rods, including the No. 5 master rod, were broken. There was no evidence in the engine of scoring, thermal damage, or oil starvation. Due to the extent of the engine damage, the initial failure mode could not be determined. At the time of the accident, the engine had accumulated 43 hours since major overhaul.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.