# Accident 20040617011629A: Wsk M18A, Veyo, UT, June 17, 2004

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: June 17, 2004, 17:50 local time
- Place: Veyo, UT
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Low Level Operations
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 37.3261° N, 113.6225° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.3261&lon=-113.6225&mi=10
- Aircraft: N8214J, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N8214J-2007-05-23) (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
- Pilot flight hours: 21,000 total, 50 in this make and model, 30 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX04GA243](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX04GA243) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20040617011629A

## Narrative

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

(-23) THE AIRCRAFT WAS BEING USED AS A PUBLIC USE AERIAL TANKER FOR FIREFIGHTING OPERATIONS BY THE U.S. BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT NEAR ST. GEORGE, UTAH. THE PILOT WAS QUALIFIED BY THE BLM IN MARCH, 2004 TO PERFORM FIREFIGHTING OPERATIONS IN THE AIRCRAFT. HE WAS WORKING HIS 2ND DAY OF FIREFIGHTING OPERATIONS ON THIS FIRE AND HAD FLOWN APPROXIMATELY 5 HOURS EACH DAY DROPPING FIRE RETARDANT. BEFORE THE ACCIDENT HE HAD MADE TWO PASSES TO LINE UP ON THE FIRE BUT HAD NOT DROPPED DUE TO IMPROPER ALIGNMENT. ON THE 3RD PASS HE DROPPED THE LOAD SLIGHTLY OFF TARGET FROM AN ALITITUDE BETWEEN 50-100 FEET. THE AIRCRAFT WAS OBSERVED TO PITCH UP AND PITCH DOWN VERTICALLY INTO THE GROUND AND BURN. THE CRASH SITE WAS 1/2 MILE FROM WHERE THE DROP WAS COMPLETED ON THE SAME HEADING. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT BY INVESTIGATORS DID NOT REVEAL ANY MECHANICAL OR ENGINE MALFUNCTION. INITIAL AUTOPSY REPORTS DID NOT REVEAL ANY CAUSE FOR SUDDEN INCAPACITATION OF THE PILOT. ACCORDING TO THE OWNER/OPERATOR OF THE AIRCRAFT, FLAPS ARE NORMALLY USED TO AVOID LARGE PITCHING MOMENTS WHEN THE LOAD, WHICH WEIGHS 3200 POUNDS, IS RELEASED. THE FLAPS AND OPERATING SERVOS WERE DESTROYED IN THE POST CRASH FIRE. THE FLAP SETTING HAS NOT BEEN DETERMINED. THE PILOT MAY HAVE RETRACTED THE FLAPS DURING ONE OF THE ABORTED PASSES AND DID NOT RESET THEM WHEN HE MADE THE FINAL PASS. THIS WOULD ACCOUNT FOR THE PITCH UP OBSERVED BY WITNESSES. HE WAS UNABLE TO RECOVER THE AIRCRAFT IN THE LIMITED ALTITUDE AVAILABLE.

## 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 LAX04GA243](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX04GA243), Jun 17, 2004: WSK PZL Mielec M-18A (N8214J), St. George, UT, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed margin, resulting in a stall and loss of control.

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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