Wsk Pzl Mielec M18A accident near Hunter, Arkansas, July 26, 1990
On July 26, 1990 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Wsk Pzl Mielec M18A, registered N8154V, was destroyed in an accident near Hunter, Arkansas. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S CONTINUED OPERATION WITH A KNOWN MALFUNCTIONING ENGINE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 26, 1990 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Hunter, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Wsk Pzl Mielec M18A
- Registration
- N8154V · no longer on the register · serial 12020-15
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE HAD BEEN HAVING TO 'BURN OUT' THE ENGINE BEFORE EACH TAKEOFF IN ORDER TO OBTAIN TAKEOFF POWER. HE ALSO STATED THAT DURING THIS ATTEMPTED TAKEOFF THE ENGINE LOADED UP AND WOULD NOT DEVELOP SUFFICIENT POWER TO MAINTAIN FLIGHT. A TOP OVERHAUL WAS TO HAVE BEEN PERFORMED TWO DAYS AFTER THE ACCIDENT. THE AIRPLANE WAS NOT ABLE TO CLIMB AND IMPACTED INTO AN ADJACENT FIELD.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,378 hours in all; 450 in this make and model; 214 in the last 90 days; 105 in the last 30 days; 2,277 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 447 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 5, 1989; 447 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 9,260 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pzl-Kalisz ASZ-62IR-M18 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: NONE at 10:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 25,000 ft; ovct at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:55 pm from JBR, 57 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.