N9270W – WEATHERLY 620 – 2017-07-19 NTSB Accident Report

On July 19, 2017, a Weatherly 620 (N9270W) was involved in an incident near Pemberton Twp, NJ. All 1 person aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: An in-flight collision with a bird during takeoff, which resulted in a partial loss of engine power and subsequent collision with trees and terrain.

According to the pilot, during takeoff, when the aerial application airplane was about 15 feet above ground level, he noticed a decrease in engine performance, verified that the engine controls were full forward and turned the fuel boost pump ON. He dropped the hopper load, however the airplane performance continued to decrease. The pilot elected to land the airplane straight-ahead and the airplane impacted trees prior to coming to rest inverted in a bog. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed substantial damage to the fuselage and wings. Furthermore, after the airplane was removed from the bog, the Federal Aviation Administration inspector who responded to the accident found feathers associated with a Canadian goose in the vicinity of the engine and damaged propeller.

This incident is documented in NTSB report ERA17CA251. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N9270W.