- Date
- October 21, 1988, 09:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Mendota, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N4206AWSK PZL Mielec PZL-M-18
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 29, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19881021048679A
- Case key
- 26149
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
On takeoff for an aerial application flight, the aircraft failed to clear an agricultural berm 300 ft beyond the end of the runway and nosed over. The pilot stated that the aircraft was loaded with 500 gallons of sodium chlorate and that he should have limited the load for the conditions at the time of the departure.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4206A
- Reported as
- WSK PZL Mielec PZL-M-18
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1200506
- Airframe hours
- 1,219
- Engine
- PZL Mielec ASZ621R-M18, 967 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Donovan Dusters
- Registered owner
- Donovan Dusters
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 2, 1988 · 50 hours before
- Airport
- Ag Strip, runway 36, 1,980 × 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
- Front
- Flight hours
- 5,289 total · 220 in this make and model · 5,289 as pilot in command · 125 in the last 90 days · 40 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.