- Date
- July 16, 1996, 12:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Beedeville, AR
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N163RAWsk Pzl Mielec M-18A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 24, 1996
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19960716017889A
- Case key
- 19912
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 terrain clearance.
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 reported that during the morning he had flown '10 to 15 loads' off the 2,542-foot dirt airstrip with 'no problems.' He further reported that 'upon becoming airborne and flying approximately 300 feet, the front wheels touched the rice that was planted across the gravel road (due north) from the airstrip.' Contact with the rice 'caused the loss of airspeed.' The airplane struck a rice field levee, nosed over, and came to rest inverted.
Factual narrative
On July 16, 1996, at 1200 central daylight time, a Wsk Pzl Mielec M-18A, N163RA, registered to and operated by Addington Ag Air under Title 14 CFR Part 137, was substantially damaged during takeoff near Beedeville, Arkansas. The commercial pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the aerial application flight and a flight plan was not filed.
The pilot reported that, during the morning, he had flown "10 to 15 loads" off the 2,542 foot dirt airstrip with "no problems." He further reported that "upon becoming airborne and flying approximately 300 feet, the front wheels touched the rice that was planted across the gravel road (due north) from the airstrip." Contact with the rice "caused the loss of airspeed." The airplane struck a rice field levee, nosed over, and came to rest inverted.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N163RA
- Reported as
- Wsk Pzl Mielec M-18A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1Z015-16
- Airframe hours
- 2,800
- Engine
- Pzl-Kalisz ASZ-621R, 980 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Registered owner
- Bobby & Mary Addington
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 10, 1995
- Airport
- NONE · Private, runway 36, 2,542 × 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
- 39
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 7,899 total · 2,000 in this make and model · 7,815 as pilot in command · 350 in the last 90 days · 100 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 39 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.