Weatherly 620B accident near Cee Vee, Texas, October 22, 1997
On October 22, 1997 at about 6:40 pm local time, a Weatherly 620B, registered N46278, was destroyed in an accident near Cee Vee, Texas. 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 pilot's failure to maintain clearance with the power lines during an aerial application flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 22, 1997 · about 6:40 pm local time
- Place
- Cee Vee, Texas
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Weatherly 620B
- Registration
- N46278 · no longer on the register · serial 1550
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The agricultural airplane collided with power lines and terrain during a local aerial application flight. Witnesses reported that the airplane was flying level, approximately the height of the power lines, when it passed behind an obstruction, out of their view. They reported seeing black smoke 5-10 seconds later. The witnesses went to the accident site and observed power lines severed and stretched to the ground. Examination of the airplane by the investigator-in-charge revealed that the airplane struck the power lines with the main landing gear mounted wire cutter. Further examination of the airframe, engine and logbooks revealed no evidence of pre-impact defects.
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: 7,100 hours in all; 186 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 4, 1997
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-985-AN-3 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 3F6 Paducah TX at 6:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from CDS, 15 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.
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.