Weatherly 201C N9038W

Summary

On 30 May 1995 at about 15:54 local time, a Weatherly 201C registered N9038W was involved in an accident near Clarks, Nebraska, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

30 May 1995 at 15:54

Classification

Accident

Location

Clarks, Nebraska, United States

Coordinates

41.2104, -97.8305

Aircraft

Weatherly 201C

Registration

N9038W

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI95LA160

1 person died.

a partial failure of the engine supercharger.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

A WITNESS WHO OCCASIONALLY SAW THE AIRPLANE DURING ITS TURN TO REVERSE DIRECTION REPORTED THAT HE HEARD A LOUD 'POP' SHORTLY AFTER THE ENGINE SUDDENLY STOPPED RUNNING. THE ENGINE EXAMINATION REVEALED A FREE WHEELING SUPERCHARGER IMPELLER. THE COLLECTOR DRIVE FLOATER GEAR HAD 4 1/2 TEETH MISSING. METAL CHIPS WERE DETECTED IN THE OIL SCREEN. THE GEAR TEETH FROM THE FLOATER GEAR WERE FOUND IN THE SUMP AND ENGINE'S CRANKCASE HOUSING. A BORESCOPE INSPECTION OF THE ENGINE'S CYLINDERS REVEALED OPERATION WITH A RICH MIXTURE. SUDDEN STOPPAGE OF THE IMPELLER WOULD NOT RESULT IN THE GEAR TEETH'S LOCATION NOTED ABOVE. MISSING GEAR TEETH COULD ALSO INTERRUPT ENGINE POWER. THE NTSB METALLURGICAL LABORATORY'S FINDINGS ON THE SEPARATED GEAR TEETH AND FLOATER GEAR REVEALED OVERSTRESS SEPARATION OF THE GEAR TEETH.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.