Wsk Pzl Mielec M-18A accident near Hughes, LA
On April 3, 1996, a Wsk Pzl Mielec M-18A (airplane) was involved in an accident near Hughes, LA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- April 3, 1996
- Place
- Hughes, LA
- Aircraft
- Wsk Pzl Mielec M-18A · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 30.701°N, 92.697°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001208X05547
NTSB summary
On April 3, 1996, at 1240 central standard time, a WSK PZL Mielec M-18A, N2159K, registered to and operated by R.C. Air Corporation under Title 14 CFR Part 137, nosed over during an aborted takeoff near Hughes, Arkansas. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local aerial application flight, and a flight plan was not filed. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant, sustained fatal injuries. The flight was originating from an agriculture airstrip near Hughes, Arkansas, at the time of the accident. A post-impact fire destroyed the airplane. According to the pilot's ground crew, he had flown 5 application flights that morning. The pilot then flew to West Memphis to fuel his airplane. The pilot's ground crew further stated that he next flew to the airstrip where the accident happened and made a landing to pick up a load of Urea fertilizer. Another witness stated that neither "the pilot nor his men had ever been to that strip [before], so I led them down there." One witness described the east-west grass airstrip as a "runway that was down the top of a ridge." Another witness, a pilot who had operated off of this airstrip many times, reported that "the accident strip is short, only 1,500 feet in length, and has a tilt that causes the south wing to be higher when taking off toward the west." This same witness reported "the weather that day was nearly prohibitive to small aircraft. The wind was from the south at about 35-40 mph, with higher gusts. This wind forced me to move from an east/west airstrip, only five miles north of the accident site, to a north/south strip."
Probable cause
the pilot exceeding the maximum authorized crosswind component of the airplane. Factors were the crosswind and the side sloping runway.
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Browse: Louisiana · Wsk Pzl Mielec aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
