Weatherly 620B accident near Timber Lake, South Dakota, July 6, 1999
On July 6, 1999 at about 6:40 pm local time, a Weatherly 620B, registered N350WR, was substantially damaged in an accident near Timber Lake, South Dakota (Timber Lake Airport). 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).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilots selection of the shorter runway and his failure to abort the takeoff. Factors to the accident were the high density altitude, the fence and the fence posts.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 6, 1999 · about 6:40 pm local time
- Place
- Timber Lake, South Dakota · Timber Lake Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Weatherly 620B
- Registration
- N350WR · no longer on the register · serial 1612
- 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 aerial spraying aircraft was loaded with 270 gallons of solution and was attempting to takeoff from the Timber Lake Airport on Runway 17 (2,400 feet by 120 feet, dry/turf). The density altitude at the time was 3,680 feet and a weather reporting station, located 30 miles and 075 degrees magnetic from the accident site, was reporting calm winds. According to the South Dakota Airport Directory, the Timber Lake Airport has a second turf runway (Runway 12/30) that is 3,300 feet long and 150 feet wide. The aircraft lifted off and then settled back onto the runway. The aircraft lifted off again and then struck a fence. The pilot stated that he decided to continue and started to dump the load of chemicals that he was carrying. The aircraft then struck another fence and posts and came to rest in a road east of the airport. The pilot stated that he did not believe that there were any problems with the aircraft. In his statement, the pilot wrote, '... what I wish I would have done is taken off on the other runway or not have filled her quite as full.' A post accident examination revealed no mechanical anomalies.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,500 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,340 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 1999; 209 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-985-AN-1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: D58 at 6:40 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 2,400 ft by 120 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:55 pm from MBG, 30 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N350WR the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CHI99LA214.