# NTSB CEN13LA163: PZL Mielec M-18A, N4305D, Jennings, LA, February 15, 2013 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Fatal · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: February 15, 2013, 17:10 local (23:10 UTC) - Place: Jennings, LA - Coordinates: 30.188333, -92.632225 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=30.1883&lon=-92.6322&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Maneuvering](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/450) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Loss of control in flight](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240) - Highest injury: Fatal - Injuries: 1 fatal - Status: Completed, report March 24, 2014 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Central Region - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 86235 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN13LA163 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/86235/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=86235 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN13LA163 ## Probable cause The pilot’s inadequate visual lookout, which resulted in a collision with guy wires during an aerial application flight. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Performance/control parameters: altitude](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062012): Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintained (probable cause); cases with it: [WSK PZL Mielec M-18A, 3 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062012/cases.md?model=9810103), [All aircraft, 1,310 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062012/cases.md) - [Attention/monitoring: monitoring environment](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02021545): Personnel issues › Psychological · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [WSK PZL Mielec M-18A, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02021545/cases.md?model=9810103), [All aircraft, 809 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02021545/cases.md) - [Object/animal/substance: tower/antenna (incl guy wires)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03022017): Environmental issues › Physical environment · Contributed to outcome (probable cause); cases with it: [WSK PZL Mielec M-18A, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03022017/cases.md?model=9810103), [All aircraft, 55 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03022017/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) ](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470); cases with it: [WSK PZL Mielec M-18A, 9 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md?model=9810103), [All aircraft, 10,189 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md) - [Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Loss of control in flight](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240) (defining event); cases with it: [WSK PZL Mielec M-18A, 3 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240/sequence.md?model=9810103), [All aircraft, 5,002 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240/sequence.md) ## Analysis The pilot was conducting aerial application activities to the southeast of the airport. After the pilot finished spraying a field with a radio tower located in the northwest corner, the airplane struck the tower's guy wires. Although the tower was marked, the guy wires were not nor were they required to be marked. The tower was also depicted on the relevant aeronautical sectional chart. An examination of the airframe, engine, and related systems revealed no malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. At the time of the accident, the reported weather conditions were scattered clouds at 7,000 feet with the sun setting and visibility greater than 10 miles. It is unknown the extent that the clouds may have obscured the guy wires. The setting sun should have been behind the pilot during his pass and therefore not a factor. Based on the available evidence, it is likely the pilot lost track of the tower's location relative to his and did not notice the guy wires in time to avoid a collision. ## Factual narrative The radio tower, which was owned by Global Tower Partners, was located in the northwest corner of the target field. The radio tower was guyed by 8 wires in a tri-pod configuration. The tower stood approximately 480 feet in height and was painted red and white. The radio tower was depicted on the Houston Visual Flight Rules Sectional Chart as a cluster of two towers to the southeast of Jennings, Louisiana. The broadcast tower was marked in accordance with guidance outlined in FAA Advisory Circular 70/7460-1K and the requirements found in the Federal Communications Commission Regulation 47 CFR §§ 17.21-17.50. According to officials at Riceland Aviation Inc., the pilot was familiar with the field and had flown that field at least 15 times in the previous spray season. There were no ground crews present during the aerial application flight. They stated that it appeared that the pilot had finished spraying the field and was "dressing up around the tower." The accident airplane, a PZL Mielec M18-A (serial number 1Z022-19), was manufactured in 1991. It was registered with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on a special airworthiness certificate for restricted agriculture and pest control operations. A Pratt & Whitney PT6A-65B turbo-prop engine powered the airplane. The engine was equipped with a 4-blade, Hartzell propeller. The airplane was registered to and operated by the Riceland Aviation Inc., and was maintained under an annual inspection program. A review of the maintenance records indicated that a 100-hour inspection had been completed on October 11, 2012, at an airframe total time of 6,999 hours. The accident airplane was equipped with Hemisphere AgJunction Satloc G4 control system designed to control the application of chemicals during aerial application flights. The Satloc G4 operates a cockpit mounted lightbar guidance system and a real-time graphic moving map display providing visual guidance to the pilot. Flow rates can be pilot selected or based on mapping. The unit was sent to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Vehicle Recorders Lab in Washington, D.C. for download. The log files downloaded from the unit were dated between January 8, 2013, and February 15, 2013. The last recording, which included the accident flight, lasted over two hours and was not corrected for the local time zone. On February 15, 2013, about 1710 central standard time, N4305D, a PZL Mielec M-18A, single-engine airplane, was substantially damaged when it impacted the guy wire for a radio tower southeast of Jennings, Louisiana. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by Riceland Aviation, Inc. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The aerial application flight was being conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 without a flight plan. The local flight had departed about 1650 from the Jennings Airport (3R7), Jennings, Louisiana. According toRiceland Aviation, the pilot was applying the herbicide Round Up to a rice field southeast of 3R7. The wreckage of the airplane was found near a radio tower in a field where the airplane had been conducting aerial applications. An examination of a radio tower to the southwest of the main wreckage revealed damage to the number 7 and 8 guy wires on the east side of the tower. Satloc data recovered from the accident airplane depicted the airplane having made multiple passes, consistent with spray passes, in the vicinity of the radio tower. The last two minutes of the recording depict eda spray path from north to south, followed by a right turn to the west and then a course reversal to the east. The flight path depicted the airplane just to the south of the radio tower, with a flight path from the southwest to the northeast; the recorded decrease in altitude is consistent with an approach for the next spray pass to the north. The altitude increased at the end of the field and the airplane reversed course again. The flight path reversed to the south and then a right turn, back around to the north for a second pass along the same course as the previous pass. The airplane had just initiated a descent for the southwest to northeast pass when the recording ended. The Calcasieu Parish Coroner's Office and Forensic Facility performed the autopsy on the pilot on February 16, 2013, as requested by the Jefferson Davis Parish Coroner's Office. The autopsy concluded that the cause of death was due to the "multiple injuries sustained in an airplane crash" and the report listed the specific injuries. The FAA's Civil Aerospace Medical Institute, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, performed toxicological tests on specimens that were collected during the autopsy (CAMI Reference #201300071001). Results were negative for carbon monoxide and ethanol. Tests of the urine detected 40.8 ug/ml of Salicylate; a metabolite of aspirin. The closest official weather observation station was Jennings Airport (3R7), Jennings, Louisiana, located 3.5 nautical miles (nm) northwest of the accident site. The elevation of the weather observation station was 23 feet mean sea level (msl). The routine aviation weather report (METAR) for 3R7, issued at 1715, reported, wind 360 degrees at 7 knots, visibility 10 miles, sky condition, scattered clouds at 7,000 feet, temperature 17 degrees Celsius (C), dew point temperature 5 degrees C, altimeter 30.11 inches. According to the United States Naval Observatory, Astronomical Applications Department Sun and Moon Data, the sunset was recorded at 1759 CST and the end of civil twilight was 1823 CST. The pilot, age 52, held a commercial pilot certificate with airplane single and multiengine land ratings. He was issued a second class airman medical certificate on February 28, 2012. The certificate contained the limitation "must have available glasses for near vision." According to the National Transportation Safety Board Pilot Operator Aircraft Accident IncidentReport Form submitted by the operator, the pilot had logged 19,325 hours of flight experience; 10,627 hours were in the make and model of the accident airplane. The pilot had successfully completed the requirements of a flight review on September 19, 2011. According to Riceland Aviation, the pilot had not attended formal training for agricultural operations and had obtained all of his knowledge and experience through on-the-job training. The pilot had attended the Professional Aerial Applicators' Support System (PAASS) training provided by the National Agricultural Aviation Association in 2013. The pilot also held a chemical applicators license as required by the State of Louisiana. The airplane wreckage was located in a dry rice field just northeast of the radio tower. The accident site was at an elevation of 15 feet mean sea level. A small piece of the left wing was wrapped around one guy wire. Torn and bent metal from the left wing and the outboard section of the left wing were located directly below the east tripod of guy wires. Damage to the inboard section of the left wing, at the separation point, was consistent with a wire strike. The main wreckage came to rest just north of the east tripod of guy wires. The main wreckage included the inboard portion of the left wing, the right wing, the empennage, and the engine. The spray booms, the propeller assembly, and bent and torn metal were located in the short debris field and ground scar directly adjacent to the main wreckage. An examination of the airframe, engine, and related systems, conducted by the responding FAA inspector, revealed no anomalies. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N4305D](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N4305D-2013-12-12), registration cancelled 2013-12-12, S/N 1Z022-19 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: 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: 1Z022-19 - Airframe hours: 6999 - Engines: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-65B turbo prop - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Aerial application, Part 137 - Operator: Riceland Aviation Inc - Registered owner: Riceland Aviation Inc - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Restricted (Special) - Last inspection: 100 hour, October 11, 2012 - Departed: Jennings, LA - Destination: Jennings, LA ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 52; injuries: fatal; commercial; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; medical: class 2, with waivers/limitations; last flight review September 19, 2011; seat: single; restraint: 5-point; toxicology performed; flight hours: 19,325 total, 10,627 in this make and model, 19,139 as pilot in command, 110 in the last 90 days, 30 in the last 30 days, 5 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 360° at 7 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 63 °F, dew point 41 °F - Altimeter: 30.11 inHg - Observed at: K3R7, 4 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 20130215003379A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20130215003379A), Feb 15, 2013: Wsk Pzl Mielec M-18A, Jennings, LA, Destroyed, 1 fatal. Crop duster struck a tower guide wire that was in the field he was spraying. It was late afternoon and was the last field he was spraying as per the operators… ## Docket (14 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 13, 2014, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=86235. 20.6 MB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 372 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40407250&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Redacted.PDF - Electronic Device 17 - Specialist's Factual Report (item 2, .PDF, 1.4 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40398937&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Electronic%20Device%2017%20-%20Specialist%27s%20Factual%20Report-Master.PDF - Electronic Device 17 - Attachment 1 - Tabular Data (CSV) (item 3, .CSV, 257 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40398939&FileExtension=.csv&FileName=Electronic%20Device%2017%20-%20Attachment%201%20-%20Tabular%20Data%20(CSV)-Master.csv - Toxicological Report (item 4, .PDF, 113 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40407251&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Toxicological%20Report-Master.PDF - Map of Accident Area and Towers (item 5, .PDF, 500 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40407252&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Map%20of%20Accident%20Area%20and%20Towers-Master.PDF - Radio Tower Inspection Report (item 6, .PDF, 814 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40407470&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Radio%20Tower%20Inspection%20Report-Redacted.PDF - Photograph 01 - Guide Wire, Outboard Section of Left Wing, and Main Wreckage (item 7, .PDF, 2.1 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40407272&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photograph%2001%20-%20Guide%20Wire,%20Outboard%20Section%20of%20Left%20Wing,%20and%20Main%20Wreckage-Master.PDF - Photograph 02 - Guide Wire with Torn Metal (item 8, .PDF, 2.2 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40407273&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photograph%2002%20-%20Guide%20Wire%20with%20Torn%20Metal-Master.PDF - Photograph 03 - Outboard Portion of Left Wing (item 9, .PDF, 2.2 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40407275&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photograph%2003%20-%20Outboard%20Portion%20of%20Left%20Wing-Master.PDF - Photograph 04 - Main Wreckage - Left Side and Debris Field (item 10, .PDF, 2.1 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40407276&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photograph%2004%20-%20Main%20Wreckage%20-%20Left%20Side%20and%20Debris%20Field-Master.PDF - Photograph 05 - Main Wreckage - Front View (item 11, .PDF, 2.1 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40407277&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photograph%2005%20-%20Main%20Wreckage%20-%20Front%20View-Master.PDF - Photograph 06 - Main Wreckage - Right Side (item 12, .PDF, 2.1 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40407278&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photograph%2006%20-%20Main%20Wreckage%20-%20Right%20Side-Master.PDF - Photograph 07 - Main Wreckage - Aft View (item 13, .PDF, 2.2 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40407279&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photograph%2007%20-%20Main%20Wreckage%20-%20Aft%20View-Master.PDF - Photograph 08 - Propeller Assembly (item 14, .PDF, 2.3 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40407280&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photograph%2008%20-%20Propeller%20Assembly-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.