# Accident 20020731017449A: Wsk M18A, Indianola, MS, July 31, 2002

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 31, 2002, 13:40 local time
- Place: Indianola, MS
- Airport: Indianola Municipal Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
- Location: 33.4856° N, 90.6789° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.4856&lon=-90.6789&mi=10
- Aircraft: N6236M, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N6236M-2002-09-16) (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 M18A
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ATL02LA146](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL02LA146) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020731017449A

## Narrative

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

(.19) ON JULY 31, 2002, AT 1340 CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME, A WSK PZL MIELEC, M-18A, N6236M, OWNED AND OPERATED BY VALLEY AIR APPLICATOR, COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND WHILE MANEUVERING FOR AN AERIAL APPLICATION SWATH RUN IN INDIANOLA, MISSISSIPPI. THE AERIAL APPLICATION FLIGHT WAS OPERATED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF TITLE 49 CFR PART 137 WITH NO FLIGHT PLAN FILED. VISUAL WEATHER CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE AIRPLANE WAS DESTROYED AND THE PILOT WAS FATALLY INJURED. THE AERIAL APPLICATION FLIGHT DEPARTED INDIANOLA, MISSISSIPPI, AT AN UNDETERMINED TIME. CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE ACCIDENT ARE NOT KNOWN, HOWEVER, ACCORDING TO AN EYEWITNESS, WHITE SMOKE WAS OBSERVED COMING FROM THE AIRPLANE BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. (-23) THE AIRCRAFT WAS AN AGRICULTURAL AIRCRAFT, PERFORMING A SPRAYING OPERATION. WITNESSES SAW THE AIRCRAFT IN A TURN, THEN PITCH NOSE DOWN AND IMPACT THE GROUND. THE PILOT WAS KILLED AND THE AIRCRAFT SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED.

## 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 ATL02LA146](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL02LA146), Jul 31, 2002: WSK PZL Mielec M-18A (N6236M), Indianola, MS, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain airspeed which resulted in a stall and the subsequent uncontrolled collision with the ground while maneuvering for an aerial application run.

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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