Wsk Pzl MIELEC M-18A N7077N

Summary

On 23 August 2005 at about 21:12 local time, a Wsk Pzl MIELEC M-18A registered N7077N, operated by Bureau of Land Management, was involved in an accident near Elko, Nevada, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

23 August 2005 at 21:12

Classification

Accident

Location

Elko, Nevada, United States

Coordinates

41.0200, -115.7550

Aircraft

Wsk Pzl MIELEC M-18A

Registration

N7077N

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Bureau of Land Management

Operating rule

Public Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Elko → Elko

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX05TA277

1 person had minor injuries.

the pilot's failure to adequately plan for the wind direction and speed during a fire retardant delivery flight, which led to a loss of true airspeed, failure to attain a proper climb rate, and the in-flight collision with mountainous terrain. Contributing factors were the high, gusty, tailwind conditions.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane impacted terrain when it encountered tailwind and downdraft conditions during a fire retardant delivery flight over a ridgeline. According to the pilot, he flew the airplane over the drop site between 95 and 100 miles per hour (mph), about 60 feet above the terrain, and with 30 degrees of flaps extended. After dropping the retardant, he applied full power and retracted the flaps to 10 degrees with normal engine indications. The airplane would not climb without losing airspeed and the pilot realized he would not be able to clear the ridgeline in his flight path. He slowed the airplane as much as possible before the airplane collided with terrain. The weather observation at a nearby airport and reports from ground personnel close to the site indicated high and gusty wind conditions with velocities as high as 40 knots existed at the time of the accident, and would have resulted in a tailwind condition for the airplane as it made the retardant drop.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.