Weatherly 620B accident near Whiteface, Texas, May 25, 1999
On May 25, 1999 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Weatherly 620B, registered N6305W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Whiteface, Texas (Private airport). It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain for takeoff. Contributing to the accident was the soft ground and the standing water on the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 25, 1999 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Whiteface, Texas · Private · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Weatherly 620B
- Registration
- N6305W · no longer on the register · serial 1563
- 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 commercial pilot lost control of the agricultural airplane after the left main landing gear tire bogged down in a muddy area near a partially flooded area of the private airstrip, approximately 1,000 feet from the approach end of the airstrip. The airplane veered slightly to the left and nosed over coming to rest inverted on the airstrip, approximately 330 feet from the flooded area. The operator reported that the surface of his 4,200 foot dirt airstrip was 'heavily saturated due to heavy rains during the night and early morning hours.' The operator added that this was the pilot's first flight of the day. The 5,000 hour pilot, who had accumulated 711 hours in the make and model, had been working for the operator for the last 10 years.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,000 hours in all; 711 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 440 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 11, 1999; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-985-AN1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 4,200 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,800 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:56 pm from LBB, 34 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.
Other NTSB records under N6305W 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.