Weatherly 201C accident near Espanola, Washington, April 17, 1982
On April 17, 1982 at about 1:30 pm local time, a Weatherly 201C, registered N9231W, was substantially damaged in an accident near Espanola, Washington (AG Strip airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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
- April 17, 1982 · about 1:30 pm local time
- Place
- Espanola, Washington · AG Strip
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Weatherly 201C · all 201Cs on the register
- Registration
- N9231W · no longer on the register · serial 1037
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT STATED THAT DURING CLIMB THE ENGINE POWER SUDDENLY WENT TO IDLE. A FORCED LANDING WAS MADE IN A SOFT PLOWED FIELD WHERE THE AIRCRAFT NOSED OVER. NO MECHANICAL MALFUNCTIONS WERE FOUND DURING THE ENGINE EXAMINATION HOWEVER IT WAS NOTED THAT CONDITIONS WERE CONDUCIVE TO CARBURETOR ICING.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 27,800 hours in all; 800 in this make and model; 70 in the last 30 days; 4,500 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 840 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 58 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P & W R985-AN3 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Glen Coons Cropcare Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: Espanola WA at 5:30 am
- Destination: 075 Deer Park WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 2,600 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 99°F (37°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:48 am from GEG, 6 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.