Weatherly 620 accident near Waddell, Arizona, September 16, 1984
On September 16, 1984 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Weatherly 620, registered N46032, was destroyed in an accident near Waddell, Arizona. 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 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
- September 16, 1984 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Waddell, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Weatherly 620
- Registration
- N46032 · no longer on the register · serial 1509
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A POWER LINE DURING A SPRAY OPERATION. WITNESSES SAID THE ACFT FLEW UNDER A POWER LINE AND AS IT PULLED UP COLLIDED WITH A LINE WHICH ANGLED OFF OF THE MAIN LINE. THE VERTICAL STABILIZER AND PART OF THE RUDDER SEPARATED. THE ACFT NOSED OVER AND CRASHED AFTER CONTINUING TO CLIMB AND TURN FOR A SHORT TIME. PART OF THE RUDDER WAS FOUND 1/8 OF A MILE FROM THE MAIN WRECKAGE. NO OTHER MALFUNCTIONS OF EQUIPMENT WERE FOUND.
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; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 7,500 hours in all; 89 in this make and model; 110 in the last 30 days; 7,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 995 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 28, 1984; 168 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R985-AN-1 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: PS El Mirage AZ at 3:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 1 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds; scat
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:55 pm from LUF, 5 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.