- Date
- April 25, 1988, 10:00 local (15:00 UTC)
- Place
- Cheneyville, LA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N4226VPezetel PZL-M-18
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 3, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880425013969A
- Case key
- 22634
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 after takeoff the aircrft seemed extremely tail-heavy and that he used 'both feet and one arm' to hold forward stick. He said the aircraft was almost uncontrollable in pitch and displayed a right turning tendendcy. The pilot returned to the airport, attempting to land downwind on the takeoff runway. He reduced power at 100 feet AGL and the right wing hit the ground. The aircraft had previously had rudder failure problems in flight but were believed to have been fixed. After the accident, it was found that the upper 1/3 of the rudder was bent 45 degrees to the left.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4226V
- Reported as
- Pezetel PZL-M-18
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1200504
- Airframe hours
- 1,704
- Engine
- PZL-Kalisz ASZ-61IR, 1,000 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Vaughn Flying Service, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Vaughn Flying Service Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 14, 1988
- Departed
- LA81
- Airport
- LA81 · Cheneyville, runway 36, 3,500 × 65 ft, asphalt
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
- 45
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 7,965 total · 1,200 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 235° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.