# NTSB CHI03LA156: Dromader M-18, N51402, Dumas, AR, June 9, 2003 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: June 9, 2003, 15:30 local (20:30 UTC) - Place: Dumas, AR - Coordinates: 33.755279, -91.553611 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.7553&lon=-91.5536&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Takeoff](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/300) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 1 uninjured - Status: Completed, report December 30, 2003 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: FAA Little Rock FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 57229 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CHI03LA156 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/57229/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI03LA156 ## Probable cause The pilot's delay in aborting the takeoff and his intentional maneuver to avoid the obstruction at the end of the runway. Contributing factors were the road and ditch. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - On ground/water collision with object, takeoff - roll/run - aborted takeoff - delayed, pilot in command (cause) - maneuver to avoid obstructions - intentional, pilot in command (cause) - Gear collapsed, takeoff - roll/run - terrain condition - roadway/highway (contributing factor) - terrain condition - ditch (contributing factor) ## Analysis The aircraft sustained substantial damage when it departed the runway and impacted terrain during an aborted takeoff. The pilot reported, "during takeoff, the wind changed directions and created problems getting the airplane off the ground. At the end of the runway, in [a] last effort, I changed direction of the aircraft crossing a highway and two ditches to a avoid a house." The obstruction was reported as approximately 50 feet from the end of the runway. The pilot stated that the "tail came up a little late", the airplane lifted off, and then started settling. Winds in the area were reported as variable at 3 knots. The pilot reported no anomalies with the aircraft or engine prior to the accident ## Factual narrative On June 9, 2003, at 1530 central daylight time, a Dromader M-18, N51402, sustained substantial damage when it departed the runway and impacted terrain during an aborted takeoff at a private airstrip, (2,600 feet by 100 feet, turf), near Dumas, Arkansas. The pilot reported no injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The agricultural application flight was being operated under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 137 without a flight plan. The flight was originating at the time of the accident. According to a written statement by the pilot, "during takeoff, the wind changed directions and created problems getting the airplane off the ground. At the end of the runway, in [a] last effort, I changed direction of the aircraft crossing a highway and two ditches to a avoid a house." The obstruction was reported as approximately 50 feet from the end of the runway. The pilot reported making 12 flights from the same airstrip earlier that day. The pilot noted that on a typical takeoff from the airstrip, the airplane was over halfway down the runway before the airplane began to lift off. On the accident flight, the pilot stated that the "tail came up a little late", the airplane lifted off, and then started settling. The pilot reported that he was concerned that he wouldn't clear the house. The weather conditions reported at Monticello Municipal Airport, located approximately 24 nautical miles southwest of Dumas, at 1953 were: winds variable at 3 knots; temperature 29 degrees Celsius; dew point 17 degrees Celsius; altimeter 30.00 inches mercury. The pilot reported no anomalies with the aircraft or engine prior to the accident. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N51402](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N51402-2013-08-23), registration cancelled 2013-08-23, S/N 1Z007-17, built 1981 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Dromader M-18 - Registry model: [WSK PZL Mielec M-18 DROMADER](https://openairdocs.org/model/wsk-pzl-mielec-m-18-dromader) (registry code 9810104) (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: 1Z-007-17 - Airframe hours: 5436 - Engines: PZL Mielec M-18 984 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Aerial application, Part 137 - Operator: Perkins Aircraft Services Inc, doing business as Perkins Air Service - Registered owner: William R. Perkins - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Restricted (Special) - Last inspection: Annual, January 20, 2003, 346 hours before - Departed: PVT, Dumas, AR - Airport: PVT ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 24; injuries: none; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 2, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; last flight review January 29, 2002; seat: center; flight hours: 2,150 total, 275 in this make and model, 2,020 as pilot in command, 250 in the last 90 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 84 °F, dew point 63 °F - Altimeter: 30.00 inHg - Observed at: LLQ, 24 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 20030609013389A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20030609013389A), Jun 9, 2003: Wsk M18DROMADER, Winchester, AR, Substantial damage. (-23) On June 9, 2003, at 1515 CDT, a dromader Wsk-PZL-M18, N51402, failed to achieve liftoff airspeed on a short, grass runway, aborted the takeoff, departed… 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.