Weatherly 201C accident near Near Rapelje, Montana, June 21, 1982
On June 21, 1982 at about 12:30 pm local time, a Weatherly 201C, registered N9228W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Near Rapelje, Montana (County Road #306 airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 21, 1982 · about 12:30 pm local time
- Place
- Near Rapelje, Montana · County Road #306 · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Weatherly 201C · all 201Cs on the register
- Registration
- N9228W · no longer on the register · serial 1036
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE LANDING ON A COUNTY ROAD, THE PILOT LOST DIRECTIONAL CONTROL AND THE AIRCRAFT VEERED TO THE LEFT AND STRUCK A POLE. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT AN 0-RING, PN 101-00500, ON THE PARKING BRAKE VALVE IN THE RIGHT MASTER CYLINDER HAD FAILED AND HYDRAULIC FLUID WAS LOST. THE BROKEN O-RING WAS NO LONGER SOFT AND PLIABLE, BUT WAS HARD AND NON-FLEXIBLE. ACCORDING TO RECORDS, THE CLEVELAND BRAKES HAD BEEN MANUFACTURED IN JUNE 1977. THE ONLY RECORDED MAINTENANCE ON THE BRAKES (SINCE BEING MANUFACTURED) WAS ON 5/15/82 WHEN THE BRAKE DISC LININGS WERE REPLACED.
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: 1,058 hours in all; 281 in this make and model; 70 in the last 90 days; 975 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,159 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 70 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-985 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 12 Near Rapelje MT at 6:00 am
- Destination: 12 Near Rapelje MT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 5,280 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 131°F (55°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.
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.