Wsk-Pzl Mielec M18B N16836

Summary

On 17 June 2005 at about 13:30 local time, a Wsk-Pzl Mielec M18B registered N16836 was involved in an accident near Eudora, Arkansas, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

17 June 2005 at 13:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Eudora, Arkansas, United States

Coordinates

33.0667, -91.6167

Aircraft

Wsk-Pzl Mielec M18B

Registration

N16836

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Eudora → Eudora

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DFW05LA162

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the tree.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The 16,990-hour commercial pilot departed from a private airstrip with the intentions of applying a partial load of fertilizer to a field. About 25 minutes later a crewmember heard what he thought was the returning airplane. When the crewmember got up and looked for the airplane he observed a bright flash of lightning streak across the sky and heard loud thunder. About 10-15 seconds later he observed black smoke rising from the accident site. There were no reported eye-witnesses to the accident. The initial point of impact was found at the top of a tall pine tree. Portions of the wing tip were located near the base of the pine tree. The airplane was destroyed by a post-impact fire. A weather front accompanied by heavy lighting was reported to have been moving into the vicinity at the estimated time of the accident; however, the investigation could not determine if the weather was a contributing factor to the in-flight collision with terrain.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.