- Date
- July 7, 2007, 12:18 local (18:18 UTC)
- Place
- Kyle, SD
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N14067WSK PZL Mielec PZL M18B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. Department of the Interior
- FAA report
- 20070707018899A
- Case key
- 66175
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 pilot's failure to maintain clearance from terrain during an aerial application maneuver. Contributing to the accident were wind gusts, low altitude, and the reported downdraft.
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 agricultural application airplane sustained substantial damage when it impacted terrain while maneuvering for a public use aerial application of fire retardant. The pilot stated that he was approaching a fire location from the northwest. He was crossing a "burnt area from west to east across gently rolling terrain." When he crossed a ridgeline, he encountered a downdraft and the airplane "wanted to settle." The pilot "pushed [the] nose over and released [the] load." The pilot stated that the airplane would not recover before impacting terrain. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane in reference to the flight. Gusty winds were present in the area at the time of the accident.
Factual narrative
On July 7, 2007, about 1218 mountain daylight time, N14067, registered as a WSK PZL Meilec PZL M18B airplane, operated by the Department of the Interior, sustained substantial damage when it impacted terrain while maneuvering for an aerial application of fire retardant near Kyle, South Dakota. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The public use flight was being conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. No flight plan was on file. The pilot sustained minor injuries and was taken to the hospital. The local flight originated from Rapid City, South Dakota, at 1137.
The pilot stated that he was approaching a fire location from the northwest. He was crossing a "burnt area from west to east across gently rolling terrain." When he crossed a ridgeline, he encountered a downdraft and the airplane "wanted to settle." The pilot "pushed [the] nose over and released [the] load." The pilot stated that the airplane would not recover before impacting terrain. He reported no mechanical malfunctions with the airplane in reference to the flight.
At 1252, the recorded weather at the Rapid City Regional Airport, near Rapid City, South Dakota, was: Wind 170 degrees at 12 knots, gusting to 19 knots; visibility 10 statute miles; sky condition clear; temperature 41 degrees C; dew point 1 degree C; altimeter 29.78 inches of mercury.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N14067
- Reported as
- WSK PZL Mielec PZL M18B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1Z026-25
- Airframe hours
- 1,483
- Engine
- WSK PZL Kalis PZL ASZ-621R, 967 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Public aircraft · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Doug Sly Aerial Spraying
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 1, 2006
- Departed
- RAP · Rapid City, SD
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
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
- 55
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2
- Last flight review
- January 1, 2007
- Seat
- Single
- Flight hours
- 9,000 total · 1,500 in this make and model · 8,500 as pilot in command · 80 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 12 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 106 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.78 inHg
- Observed at
- RAP, 80 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.