Weatherly 201C accident near Tolna, North Dakota, June 30, 2000
On June 30, 2000 at about 12:05 pm local time, a Weatherly 201C, registered N9228W, was destroyed in an accident near Tolna, North Dakota. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
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.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 30, 2000 · about 12:05 pm local time
- Place
- Tolna, North Dakota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Weatherly 201C · all 201Cs on the register
- Registration
- N9228W · no longer on the register · serial 1036
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
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.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 10,300 hours in all; 2,500 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 10,200 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,400 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 2000; 343 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,800 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R985AN14B (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 19ND ND
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 145°F (63°C), dew point 135°F (57°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:35 am from DVL, 28 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N9228W the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.