Weatherly 201B accident near Chana, Illinois, September 5, 1992
On September 5, 1992 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Weatherly 201B, registered N2935W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Chana, Illinois. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FRACTURE OF A CONNECTING ROD RESULTING IN LOSS OF ENGINE POWER.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 5, 1992 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Chana, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Weatherly 201B · all 201Bs on the register
- Registration
- N2935W · no longer on the register · serial 603
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT EXPERIENCED ENGINE POWER LOSS RETURNING FROM AN AERIAL APPLICATION FLIGHT. THE FORCED LANDING IN A ROUGH-SURFACED PASTURE RESULTED IN STRUCTURAL DAMAGE. ENGINE DISASSEMBLY SHOWED THE NUMBER 8 ROD HAD SEPARATED ACROSS THE I-BEAM SECTION AND FLAILED AGAINST ADJACENT PARTS OF THE ENGINE INTERIOR.
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; instructor: glider; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 1,265 hours in all; 160 in this make and model; 160 in the last 90 days; 160 in the last 30 days; 1,202 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,272 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 15, 1992; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-985-AN3 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: IL93 Creston IL at 4:15 pm
- Destination: IL93
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
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.