Weatherly 620B accident near Odell, Oregon, March 13, 2000
On March 13, 2000 at about 6:02 pm local time, a Weatherly 620B, registered N9040V, was destroyed in an accident near Odell, Oregon. 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 sufficient altitude over, or clearance with, a tree. Factors contributing to the occurrence of the accident were the tree and sharply rising terrain. A factor contributing to the severity of the accident was a post-crash fuel fire.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 13, 2000 · about 6:02 pm local time
- Place
- Odell, Oregon
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Weatherly 620B
- Registration
- N9040V · registry record · serial 1652
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Witnesses reported that after making a series of spray passes over a block of pears in an east-west direction, the pilot made a north-to-south spray pass over the eastern boundary of the pear block. This pass was toward sharply rising terrain. On the north-to-south pass, the aircraft struck a tree near the south end of the orchard and began coming apart. It then struck more trees as it climbed, losing additional parts of its wing, and subsequently impacted the ground. A post-crash fire erupted immediately upon ground impact and consumed the forward portion of the airplane including the cockpit area. One witness reported that the aircraft's engine appeared to be running at full power until ground impact. An autopsy on the pilot determined the cause of his death to be 'asphyxia due to inhalation of products of combustion', noting 'no evidence of significant anatomic injury.'
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; single-engine sea; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,600 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 1, 1999
- Maximum gross weight: 4,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W R-985-AN-14B (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 4S2 Hood River OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 16 knots, gusting 23
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from TTD, 37 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.