Eagle Aircraft Co. DW-1 accident near Waverly, Washington, March 27, 1983
On March 27, 1983, a Eagle Aircraft Co. DW-1, registered N8809A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Waverly, Washington. 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
- March 27, 1983
- Place
- Waverly, Washington · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Eagle Aircraft Co. DW-1
- Registration
- N8809A · no longer on the register · serial 0053-82
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT WAS ON AN AERIAL APPLICATION MISSION SPRAYING DRY FERTILIZER ON AN UPSLOPE WHEN HE ENCOUNTERED A DOWNDRAFT. HETURNED DOWNSLOPE AS THE ACFT SETTLED BUT WAS UNABLE TO PREVENT GROUND CONTACT. THE ACFT CONTACTED THE SOFT TERRAIN AND NOSED OVER TO AN INVERTED POSITION. THE WINDS WERE 10 TO 15 KTS WITH HIGHER GUSTS. THE PILOT WAS NOT INJURED.
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: 3,250 hours in all; 220 in this make and model; 75 in the last 90 days; 42 in the last 30 days; 3,200 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 219 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 21, 1983; 48 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 5,400 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-M1BD5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: WA62 Spangle WA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°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.