# Accident 19970519011059A: Wsk PZLM18, Wilmot, AR, May 19, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 19, 1997, 13:35 local time
- Place: Wilmot, AR
- Damage: Destroyed
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Operator: ZGNG
- Location: 33.0502° N, 91.5695° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.0502&lon=-91.5695&mi=10
- Aircraft: N8089Z, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N8089Z-2017-06-30) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: WSK PZL Mielec M-18A (registry code 9810103, https://openairdocs.org/model/wsk-pzl-mielec-m-18a) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Wsk-Pzl-K PZL ASZ-62IR (registry code 67203, https://openairdocs.org/engine/wsk-pzl-k-pzl-asz-62ir) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: WSK PZLM18
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB FTW97FA193](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW97FA193) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970519011059A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ON DEPARTURE FROM AG STRIP, TURNED RIGHT, AND CRASHED. EXPLODED UPON IMPACT. (-23) ON MAY 19, 1997, AT 1335 CDT, A PEZETEL M-18A AGRICULTURAL AIRPLANE, N8089Z, WAS DESTROYED FOLLOWING A LOSS OF CONTROL DURING INTITIAL TAKEOFF CLIMB NEAR WILMOT, ARKANSAS. THE NON-INSTRUMENT RATED COMMERCIAL PILOT, SOLE OCCUPANT OF THE AIRPLANE WAS FATALLY INJURED. THE AIRPLANE WAS REGISTERED TO AND OPERATED BY WILMOT AVIATION INC. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED. THE AIRPLANE CAME TO REST ON A MEASURED HEADING OF 210 DEGREES IN A COTTON FIELD. A POST-IMPACT FIRE DESTROYED THE AIRPLANE. PRELIMINARY INSPECTION AT THE CRASH SITE, REVEALED THAT A FLIGHT CONTROL LOCK WAS INSTALLED ON THE LEFT ELEVATOR AND DID NOT HAVE A VISIBLE STREAMER ATTACHED TO IT.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB FTW97FA193](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW97FA193), May 19, 1997: Pezetel M-18A (N8089Z), Wilmot, AR, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: failure of the pilot to remove the elevator control lock before the first flight of the day, which resulted in his inability to control the airplane, due to the locked elevator control. Related…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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