Weatherly 201B accident near Agency, Iowa, August 12, 1983
On August 12, 1983 at about 3:45 pm local time, a Weatherly 201B, registered N1259W, was destroyed in an accident near Agency, Iowa. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person had minor injuries. 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 12, 1983 · about 3:45 pm local time
- Place
- Agency, Iowa · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Weatherly 201B · all 201Bs on the register
- Registration
- N1259W · no longer on the register · serial 613
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT WAS ENGAGED IN AERIAL APPLICATION OVER A SMALL 9 ACRE BEAN FIELD THAT WAS SURROUNDED ON 3 SIDES BY HEDGE ROWS. HE REPORTED THAT AS HE DESCENDED ON THE LEEWARD SIDE OF A HEDGE ROW TO BEGIN A SWATH RUN, THE ACFT ENCOUNTERED TURBULENCE & MUSHED INTO THE GROUND. SUBSEQUENTYLY, THE LEFT WING CONTACTED THE BEANS & THE ACFT CARTWHEELED.
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; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,445 hours in all; 183 in this make and model; 219 in the last 90 days; 3,289 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,842 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 26, 1983; 49 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-985-AN1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Farson IA at 3:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
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.