What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) Pilot reported after refilling hooper with rice he taxied to the end of the strip. Shortly after breaking ground, the engine sputtered. The power came back on right away but the a/c had settled too much and the landing gear hit a cement block. The a/c cart wheeled after hitting the cement block, destroying the a/c. nothing obvious was found that would cause a momentary loss of power. There was no fuel available for a sample at that time. The a/c had sat with the engine at idle during the loading of the rice and thetaxi out for takeoff. This was a rented engine that was installed 10/25/99 with 1008 hours since major overhaul. The magnetos were recently changed by donovan aviation (the owner of the engine). (.4)on April 21, 2000, at 1100 hours pacific daylight time, a pzl-mielec M-18A, N62587, collided with a fence during an aborted takeoff from a dirt road near Williams, California. The aborted takeoff was precipitated by a loss of engine power during the takeoff ground roll. The aircraft was operated by charter aviation of Williams under 14 CFR part 137 of the federal aviation regulations and was engaged in aerial application operations. The aircr aft incurred substantial damage. The certificated commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The flight was originating at the time of the occurrence. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. In a statement to federal aviation administration inspectors, the pilot said he had been using a dirt road near fields to be sprayed as a staging area for the days aerial application flights. He completed one application operation and landed on the road to refuel and reload chemicals. The pilot said that the fueling and loading of the chemicals was accomplished with the engine running at idle power. Just after the wheels left the ground during the takeoff, the engine sputtered and momentarily lost power. As the airplane descended back to the runway, the engine power came back. According to the pilot, the airplane was then too fast to stop on the remaining runway and too low to miss a fence at the runway's end. The landing gear contacted the fence and the airplane cart wheeled into a field. An FAA inspector examined the airplane. The radial engine is of polish manufacture and closely resembles a pratt and whitney R1860. The inspector noted that the engine and many of the acc essories were impact damaged, and the engine could not be run. He reported that no obvious discrepancies were observed. In addition, he noted that the records indicated that the engine was near the tbo limit.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) PILOT REPORTED AFTER REFILLING HOOPER WITH RICE HE TAXIED TO THE END OF THE STRIP.SHORTLY AFTER BREAKING GROUND, THE ENGINE SPUTTERED. THE POWER CAME BACK ON RIGHT AWAY BUT THE A/C HAD SETTLED TOO MUCH AND THE LANDING GEAR HIT A CEMENT BLOCK. THE A/C CART WHEELED AFTER HITTING THE CEMENT BLOCK, DESTROYING THE A/C. NOTHING OBVIOUS WAS FOUND THAT WOULD CAUSE A MOMENTARY LOSS OF POWER. THERE WAS NO FUEL AVAILABLE FOR A SAMPLE AT THAT TIME. THE A/C HAD SAT WITH THE ENGINE AT IDLE DURING THE LOADING OF THE RICE AND THETAXI OUT FOR TAKEOFF. THIS WAS A RENTED ENGINE THAT WAS INSTALLED 10/25/99 WITH 1008 HOURS SINCE MAJOR OVERHAUL. THE MAGNETOS WERE RECENTLY CHANGED BY DONOVAN AVIATION (THE OWNER OF THE ENGINE). (.4)ON APRIL 21, 2000, AT 1100 HOURS PACIFIC DAYLIGHT TIME, A PZL-MIELEC M-18A, N62587, COLLIDED WITH A FENCE DURING AN ABORTED TAKEOFF FROM A DIRT ROAD NEAR WILLIAMS, CALIFORNIA. THE ABORTED TAKEOFF WAS PRECIPITATED BY A LOSS OF ENGINE POWER DURING THE TAKEOFF GROUND ROLL. THE AIRCRAFT WAS OPERATED BY CHARTER AVIATION OF WILLIAMS UNDER 14 CFR PART 137 OF THE FEDERAL AVIATION REGULATIONS AND WAS ENGAGED IN AERIAL APPLICATION OPERATIONS. THE AIRCR AFT INCURRED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. THE CERTIFICATED COMMERCIAL PILOT, THE SOLE OCCUPANT, WAS NOT INJURED. THE FLIGHT WAS ORIGINATING AT THE TIME OF THE OCCURRENCE. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED. IN A STATEMENT TO FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION INSPECTORS, THE PILOT SAID HE HAD BEEN USING A DIRT ROAD NEAR FIELDS TO BE SPRAYED AS A STAGING AREA FOR THE DAYS AERIAL APPLICATION FLIGHTS. HE COMPLETED ONE APPLICATION OPERATION AND LANDED ON THE ROAD TO REFUEL AND RELOAD CHEMICALS. THE PILOT SAID THAT THE FUELING AND LOADING OF THE CHEMICALS WAS ACCOMPLISHED WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING AT IDLE POWER. JUST AFTER THE WHEELS LEFT THE GROUND DURING THE TAKEOFF, THE ENGINE SPUTTERED AND MOMENTARILY LOST POWER. AS THE AIRPLANE DESCENDED BACK TO THE RUNWAY, THE ENGINE POWER CAME BACK. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, THE AIRPLANE WAS THEN TOO FAST TO STOP ON THE REMAINING RUNWAY AND TOO LOW TO MISS A FENCE AT THE RUNWAY'S END. THE LANDING GEAR CONTACTED THE FENCE AND THE AIRPLANE CART WHEELED INTO A FIELD. AN FAA INSPECTOR EXAMINED THE AIRPLANE. THE RADIAL ENGINE IS OF POLISH MANUFACTURE AND CLOSELY RESEMBLES A PRATT AND WHITNEY R1860. THE INSPECTOR NOTED THAT THE ENGINE AND MANY OF THE ACC ESSORIES WERE IMPACT DAMAGED, AND THE ENGINE COULD NOT BE RUN. HE REPORTED THAT NO OBVIOUS DISCREPANCIES WERE OBSERVED. IN ADDITION, HE NOTED THAT THE RECORDS INDICATED THAT THE ENGINE WAS NEAR THE TBO LIMIT.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.