- Date
- July 7, 2000, 08:30 local (14:30 UTC)
- Place
- Champion, NE
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N7015KPzl-Mielec M-18A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 6, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20000707011169A
- Case key
- 51059
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
the undetermined uncontrolled descent.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot said that he was spraying through a field, when the nose of the airplane pitched downward. The pilot said he applied full back pressure with no success in pulling the nose up. The airplane impacted the ground. The airplane was examined after it had been removed from the field and loaded on a truck trailer with its wings removed. The examination of the airplane, in this configuration, revealed no anomalies.
Factual narrative
On July 7, 2000, at 0830 mountain daylight time, a WSK-PZL Mielec, M-18A, N7015K, operated by a commercial pilot, sustained substantial damage when it impacted the terrain, 8 miles west of Champion, Nebraska. Subsequent to the accident, the airplane, while maneuvering to set up for a chemical application pass, experienced a flight control malfunction. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The 14 CFR Part 137 aerial application flight was not operating on a flight plan. The pilot reported no injuries. The local flight originated at Imperial, Nebraska.
In his written statement, the pilot said that he was spraying through a field, when the nose of the airplane pitched downward. The pilot said he applied full back pressure with no success in pulling the nose up. The airplane impacted the ground.
A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector examined the airplane wreckage. On his arrival, the inspector found the airplane loaded on a tractor trailer with the wings removed. Examination of the airplane showed the propeller blades curled aft. The aft fuselage and empennage were wrinkled. The elevator was broken out. The landing gear was broken aft. Examination of the airplane, in this configuration, revealed no anomalies.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7015K
- Reported as
- Pzl-Mielec M-18A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1Z018-20
- Airframe hours
- 2,275
- Engine
- WSK PZL Kalis PZL ASZ-62IR, 996 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Steggs Aerial Spraying, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 11, 2000
- Departed
- IML · Imperial, NE
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 50
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 6,050 total · 150 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 15 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- IML, 14 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.