Weatherly 201B accident near Soledad, California, September 27, 1988
On September 27, 1988 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Weatherly 201B, registered N1265W, was destroyed in an accident near Soledad, California. 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
- September 27, 1988 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Soledad, California · 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
- N1265W · no longer on the register · serial 619
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED THAT AFTER DETECTING SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT HE TURNED OFF ALL ELECTRICAL SWITCHES AND MADE ONE MORE SPRAY PASS. AFTER THE PASS, SMOKE BECAME VISIBLE FROM THE ENGINE AND PART OF THE COWL SEPARATED. THE ENGINE LOST POWER AND THE PILOT EXECUTED A FORCED LNDG IN A DRY RIVER BED AND EXITED ACFT. POST-LNDG FIRE CONSUMED ACFT, CAUSE OF POWER LOSS UNDETERMINED DUE TO FIRE DAMAGE.
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: 793 hours in all; 311 in this make and model; 159 in the last 90 days; 59 in the last 30 days; 731 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,384 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 2, 1988; 138 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 4,800 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-985-AN1 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Crop Flight, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: Soledad CA at 5:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 5 knots, gusting 8
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Observation at 3:00 pm from SNS, 18 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.