Pilot Debrief

WSK PZL MIELEC M-18B near Caldwell, ID — 2013-07-03

Final reportWPR13LA308
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Date
2013-07-03
Location
Caldwell, ID, USA
Airport
ID00
Aircraft
WSK PZL MIELEC M-18B
Registration
N7643J
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Takeoff roll

Probable cause

The pilot’s improper decision to continue the takeoff with a tailwind after he recognized a performance problem with the airplane and his delayed action to dump the chemical load.

NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, when he applied power for takeoff on an aerial application flight, the airplane seemed to accelerate normally until the tailwheel lifted off the ground. He adjusted the power lever forward, but the torque did not seem to increase. The pilot stated that, at that point, it was "unlikely" that the airplane would lift off the ground before it reached the end of the runway but that it was "too late to abort" the takeoff. The pilot advanced the power lever full forward and held it there. He then jettisoned the applicant load and simultaneously pulled back on the control stick. The main landing gear wheels lifted off the ground but the tailwheel did not. The airplane subsequently collided with a fence and came to rest in a river. A postaccident examination of the engine revealed no evidence of mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. An 8-knot tailwind existed at the time of the takeoff, which most likely resulted in the airplane's performance deficiency. The pilot further reported that "a more prompt recognition of the problem and an earlier decision to dump the load [of applicant] may possibly have prevented the aircraft from hitting the fence."

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Engine power loss
First missed decision gate
Earlier decision to dump the load may have prevented the accident.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 4 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents4

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