# Accident 20010928031329A: Wsk PZLM18B, Plainview, TX, September 28, 2001

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 28, 2001, 16:20 local time
- Place: Plainview, TX
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Low Level Operations
- Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
- Operator: K13G
- Location: 34.2556° N, 101.6014° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.2556&lon=-101.6014&mi=10
- Aircraft: N203MC, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N203MC-2003-03-26) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Wsk-Pzl Meilec PZL M18B (registry code 9810125, https://openairdocs.org/model/wsk-pzl-meilec-pzl-m18b) (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 PZLM18B
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Pilot flight hours: 1,400 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB FTW01LA211](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW01LA211) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20010928031329A

## Narrative

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

(-23) PILOT HAD COMPLETED SPRAYING A COTTON FIELD WIHT MALITHION FOR THE BOLL WEEVIL ERADICATION PROGRAM. ON DEPARTING THE FIELD HE COLLIDED WITH A WATER PUMP STANDPIPE, 6 INCHES IN DIAMETER AND 30 FEET TALL, 800 FEET NORTH OF THE COTTON FIELD. THE PIPE, LOCATED AT 34 DEGREES 15.7 MINUTES NORTH AND 101 DEGREES 31.0 MINUTES WEST WAS STRUCK AT 24 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND AND LAID DOWN ON A HEADING OF ABOUT 300 DEGREES. 4.5 FEET OF THE LEFT WING TIP AND 12 INCHES OF THE LEFT AILERON WERE LEFT AT THE SITE IN FLOYD COUNTY, NEAR PROVIDENCE TX. THE PILOT FLEW THE AIRPLANE TO A FINAL CRASH SITE 268 DEGREES AND 4.6 NAUTICAL MILES FROM THE STANDPIPE TO HALE COUNTY, PLAINVIEW TX LOCATED AT 34 DEGREES 15.2 MINUTES NORTH AND 101 DEGREES 36.5 WITH A FINAL IMPACT HEADING OF ABOUT 185 DEGREES. JUST BEFORE THE FINAL IMPACT THE PILOT TRANSMITTED THAT HE COULD NOT HOLD IT ANY MORE. WITNESSES SAW THE LEFT WING DROP, TOUCH THE GROUND, AND THE AIRCRAFT CARTWHEELED TO A STOP, UPSIDE DOWN. THERE WERE NO KNOWN, REPORTED OR FOUND MAINTENANCE MALFUNCTIONS OR DEFICIENCIES WITH THE AIRPLANE. THE PILOT STRUCK A FIXED OBJECT DURING FLIGHT.                                                                             (.4) THE PILOT WAS COMPLETING AN AERIAL APPLICATION TO A FIELD WHEN THE AIRPLANE'S LEFT WING STRUCK A STANDPIPE. AFTER THE AIRPLANE STRUCK THE PIPE, IT TRAVELED TO THE WEST APPROXIMATELY 4 MILES. THE PILOT THEN REPORTED THAT "HE COULD NOT HOLD IT ANYMORE", AND SUBSEQUENTLY, THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED THE TERRAIN. THE 30-FOOT TALL STANDPIPE DISPLAYED AN IMPACT MARK APPROXIMATELY 4 FEET FROM THE TOP. THE OUTER 4 1/2 FEET OF THE LEFT WING, OUTER 1 FOOT OF THE LEFT AILERON, AND RED GLASS FROM THE LEFT NAVIGATION LIGHT LENS, WERE FOUND IN A 300-FOOT LONG DEBRIS FIELD NORTHWEST OF THE STANDPIPE.

## 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 FTW01LA211](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW01LA211), Sep 28, 2001: WSK PZL Mielec PZL M18B (N203MC), Plainview, TX, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: the pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the stand pipe while maneuvering during aerial application.

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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