- Date
- September 10, 1998, 19:10 local (Sep 11, 1998, 00:10 UTC)
- Place
- Tappen, ND
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N4450MWSK PZL Mielec PZL M18B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 19, 1999
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19980910023029A
- Case key
- 43915
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 improper preflight preparation resulting in the airplane exceeding the available airstrip distance during takeoff. A factor contributing to this accident was the swamp.
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 the airplane lifted off normally, but then wanted to set back down. The pilot lowered the flaps to 15-degrees in hopes of keeping the airplane from settling. Lowering flaps did not seem to help. The pilot said that he then went for the dump handle, but could not find it initially. When he did find it, the airplane impacted into a swamp just off the end of the 3,000 foot long airstrip. Examination of the wreckage revealed no anomalies. According to the Takeoff Distance Chart in the PZL M18B Aircraft Flight Manual, an airplane with atomizers and zero flaps extended, weighing 10,700 pounds, at a temperature of 33 degrees Centigrade, and zero headwind, will require a takeoff distance of approximately 3,600 feet.
Factual narrative
On September 10, 1998, at 1910 central daylight time (cdt), a WSK-PZL Meilec PZL M18B, N4450M, operated by a commercial pilot, was destroyed when just after takeoff the airplane impacted into a swamp. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The aerial application flight was being conducted under 14 CFR Part 137. There was no flight plan on file. The pilot reported no injuries. The local flight was originating at a private airstrip 3 and 1/2 miles north of Tappen, North Dakota.
In his written statement, the pilot said that the airplane lifted off normally, but then wanted to set back down. The pilot lowered the flaps to 15-degrees in hopes of keeping the airplane from settling. Lowering flaps did not seem to help. The pilot said that he then went for the dump handle, but could not find it initially. When he did find it, the airplane impacted the ground.
A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector examined the airplane at the scene. The airplane was resting upright in a swamp off the end of a 3,000 foot long airstrip. The right wing was curled up. The left wing was bent upward at the root, approximately 45 degrees. The airplane's fuselage was broken into three pieces. The propeller showed torsional bending and chordwise scratches. Flight control continuity was confirmed. No anomalies were found with the engine, engine controls, or other airplane systems.
According to the Takeoff Distance Chart in the PZL M18B Aircraft Flight Manual, an airplane with atomizers and zero flaps extended, weighing 10,700 pounds, at a temperature of 33 degrees Centigrade, and zero headwind, will require a takeoff distance of approximately 3,600 feet.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4450M
- Reported as
- WSK PZL Mielec PZL M18B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1Z027-06
- Airframe hours
- 206
- Engine
- WSK PZL Kalis ASZ-6ZIR-M18, 967 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Michael Kratz
- Registered owner
- Kratz Aerial Ag Service
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Airport
- Sitzman Farm, runway 27, 3,000 × 50 ft, dirt
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
- 38
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 5,210 total · 1,334 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BIS, 43 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.