Weatherly 620 N9270W

Summary

On 19 July 2017 at about 22:45 local time, a Weatherly 620 registered N9270W, operated by Jersey Devil Dusters LLC, was involved in an accident near Pemberton Twp, New Jersey, 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

19 July 2017 at 22:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Pemberton Twp, New Jersey, United States

Nearest airport

AG Air Strip - Rake Pond Farms (PVT)

Coordinates

40.2984, -74.5203

Aircraft

Weatherly 620

Registration

N9270W

Category

Airplane

Year built

1980

Engines

1

Operator

Jersey Devil Dusters LLC

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Pemberton Twp → Pemberton Twp

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA17CA251

Nobody was injured.

An in-flight collision with a bird during takeoff, which resulted in a partial loss of engine power and subsequent collision with trees and terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, during takeoff, when the agricultural application airplane was about 15 ft above ground level, he noticed a decrease in engine performance, verified that the engine controls were full forward, and turned the fuel boost pump on. He dropped the hopper load; however, the airplane's performance continued to decrease. The pilot chose to land the airplane straight ahead, and the airplane impacted trees before coming to rest inverted in a bog. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the fuselage and wings. Further, after the airplane was removed from the bog, the Federal Aviation Administration inspector who responded to the accident found feathers associated with a Canada goose near the engine and damaged propeller. According to the pilot, there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.