Weatherly 201B accident near Grand Forks, North Dakota, August 27, 1984
On August 27, 1984 at about 7:20 pm local time, a Weatherly 201B, registered N1268W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Grand Forks, North Dakota. 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
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
- August 27, 1984 · about 7:20 pm local time
- Place
- Grand Forks, North Dakota · 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
- N1268W · no longer on the register · serial 622
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING INITIAL TAKEOFF CLIMB AT AN ALT OF APRX 100 FT AGL, ENGINE BEGAN MISSING. UNABLE TO MAINTAIN ALT, FORCED LANDING WAS MADE IN A PLOWED FIELD DURING WHICH LANDING GEAR WAS TORN FROM THE ACFT. INSPECTION REVEALED #5 CYLINDER HEAD SEPARATED FROM THE BARREL. AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE (AD-78-08-07) WHICH INVOLVES ULTRASONIC INSPECTION OF THE CYLINDERS FOR CRACKS HAD NOT BEEN COMPLIED WITH.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,349 hours in all; 248 in this make and model; 248 in the last 90 days; 1,227 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,472 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 25, 1984; 224 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-985 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 8,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Observation at 6:50 pm from GFK
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 N1268W 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.