# NTSB ATL02LA146: WSK PZL Mielec M-18A, N6236M, Indianola, MS, July 31, 2002 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Fatal · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: July 31, 2002, 13:15 local (18:15 UTC) - Place: Indianola, MS - Coordinates: 33.485553, -90.678886 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.4856&lon=-90.6789&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Maneuvering](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/450) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Fatal - Injuries: 1 fatal - Status: Completed, report March 2, 2004 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: FAA Jackson FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 55375 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ATL02LA146 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/55375/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=55375 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL02LA146 ## 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. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - in flight, maneuvering - aerial application - airspeed - not maintained, pilot in command (cause) - stall - inadvertent, pilot in command - In flight collision with terrain/water, descent - uncontrolled - terrain condition - plowed/furrowed ## Analysis After the departure, the airplane was next seen by witnesses flying low over a tree line. One witness reported seeing blue/gray smoke coming from the engine compartment. Another witness reported that there was no smoke coming from the airplane. However, both witnesses agreed that the airplane entered a nose low turning attitude before colliding with the ground. The airplane rested in a nose down attitude with the engine buried in the ground. The wing assemblies sustained perpendicular crush damage to the leading edges. The engine assembly was taken to an engine repair facility where a teardown examination was conducted. The examination disclosed that the engine assembly sustained impact damage throughout the drive train of the engine. No mechanical problem was noted during the engine examination. ## Factual narrative HISTORY OF FLIGHT On July 31, 2002, at 1315 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 1300, on July 31, 2002. According to the operator, the pilot departed Indianola Airport en route to spray a field about 4 miles west of the airport. The airplane was next seen by witnesses at a fish processing plant on state route 82 west. The witnesses saw the airplane as it flew low over a tree line. One witness reported seeing blue/gray smoke coming from the engine compartment. Another witness reported that there was no smoke coming from the airplane. However, both witnesses agreed that the airplane entered a nose low turning attitude before colliding with the ground. PERSONNEL INFORMATION Review of information on file with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airman's Certification Division, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, revealed the pilot was issued a commercial pilot certificate, with limitations, and a rating for airplane single engine land. The pilot certificate limitation states the following: "Carrying passengers in airplanes for hire is prohibited at night and on cross-country flights of more than 50 nautical miles". Review of records on file with FAA aero medical records revealed the pilot held a second-class medical certificate issued on June 12, 2001, with restriction of "must wear corrective lenses". Review of pilot logbooks revealed the pilot had accumulated 10,000 total flight hours, including 300 flight hours in the accident airplane make and model, and 350 flight hours in the last 90 days. AIRCRAFT INFORMATION The 1993 WSK-PZL Mielec M-18A, restricted agriculture and pest control airplane was powered by a 967-horse power Pezetel AS-621R-118 engine. Performance data showed that the M-18A has a stall speed of 54 knot. According to the operator, the engine had undergone an overhaul about 12 hours before the accident and was installed on the airframe on July 8, 2002. The airframe annual inspection was completed on February 25, 2002. . WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION The airplane wreckage was located in a cotton field approximately three miles west of the Indianola Municipal Airport. Examination of the wreckage site revealed that the airplane was confined to an area about the dimensions of the airframe. The airplane rested in a nose down attitude with the engine buried in the ground. The empennage, vertical stabilizer, and horizontal stabilizer were not damaged. There was a large depression in the ground just behind the wreckage at the initial point of impact. Two of the four propeller blades were attached to the propeller hub. The third propeller blade was found in the depression made by the engine. The fourth propeller blade was not recovered. A depression just aft of the left wing indicated the initial point of impact of the left wing. Flight control continuity could not be established. Only traces of fuel were found in the wing tanks. The engine fuel sump/drain was checked and it was found to be full of fuel. The wing assemblies sustained perpendicular crush damage to the leading edges. The wreckage was recovered from the field where further examination of the airframe failed to disclose additional examination was conducted. The engine assembly was taken to and engine repair facility where a teardown examination was conducted. The examination disclosed that the engine assembly sustained impact damage throughout the drive train of the engine. No mechanical problem was noted during the engine examination. The hopper gate, battery, and oil cooler were found approximately 20 feet in front of the airplane. The spray booms of the airplane were still attached to the airplane on the inboard ends and were extended ahead of the airplane on the outboard ends. MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION The Medical Examiner of Sunflower County, conducted postmortem examination of the pilot on July 31, 2002, at the Rankin County Morgue, in Pearl, Mississippi, The cause of death was reported as blount force injuries. The Toxicology and Accident Research Laboratory, Federal Aviation Administration, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, performed postmortem toxicology of specimens from the pilot. No carbon monoxide, cyanide, ethanol, or drugs, were detected in the specimens. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION The fourth propeller blade was recovered in September of 2002 while the field where the airplane crashed was being plowed. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N6236M](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N6236M-2002-09-16), registration cancelled 2002-09-16, S/N 1Z023-08, built 1993 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: WSK PZL Mielec M-18A - Registry model: [WSK PZL Mielec M-18A](https://openairdocs.org/model/wsk-pzl-mielec-m-18a) (registry code 9810103) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Wsk-Pzl-K PZL ASZ-62IR](https://openairdocs.org/engine/wsk-pzl-k-pzl-asz-62ir) (registry code 67203, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 12023-08 - Airframe hours: 5384 - Engines: PZL-Kalisz ASZ62IRM180 260 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Aerial application, Part 137 - Registered owner: Valley Air Applicators Inc - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Restricted (Special) - Last inspection: Annual, February 25, 2002, 200 hours before - Departed: IDL, Indianola, MS - Airport: IDL, Indianola Muni ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 54; injuries: fatal; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 2, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; last flight review February 24, 2001; seat: front; toxicology performed; flight hours: 10,000 total, 300 in this make and model, 350 in the last 90 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 50° at 4 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 4,200 ft broken - Temperature: 91 °F, dew point 75 °F - Altimeter: 30.01 inHg - Observed at: GLH, 12 nm away ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20020731017449A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020731017449A), Jul 31, 2002: Wsk M18A, Indianola, MS, Substantial damage, 1 fatal. (.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… ## Docket (5 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 15, 2003, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=55375. 673 KB in all. - FAA Inspector's Statement (item 1, .PDF, 90 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40465442&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=FAA%20Inspector%27s%20Statement-Master.PDF - Site Field Maps (item 2, .PDF, 48 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40201919&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Site%20Field%20Maps-Master.PDF - Toxicological Report (item 3, .PDF, 398 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40465443&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Toxicological%20Report-Master.PDF - Witness Statement - Cook (item 4, .PDF, 63 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40465444&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Witness%20Statement%20-%20Cook-Master.PDF - Witness Statement - Garcia (item 5, .PDF, 73 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40465445&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Witness%20Statement%20-%20Garcia-Master.PDF 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.