Pezetel M-18A accident near Mcgehee, Arkansas, July 27, 1996
On July 27, 1996 at about 1:00 pm local time, a Pezetel M-18A, registered N7643J, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mcgehee, Arkansas (Mcgehee Municipal airport). It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
failure of the brake system for undetermined reason(s), which resulted in a loss of directional control and a subsequent encounter with a ditch.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 27, 1996 · about 1:00 pm local time
- Place
- Mcgehee, Arkansas · Mcgehee Municipal · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Pezetel M-18A
- Registration
- N7643J · no longer on the register · serial 1Z025-18
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported to an FAA inspector that he experienced a complete brake system failure as he applied the brakes during the landing roll. In telephone interviews with the investigator-in-charge, the pilot stated that 'after touchdown on runway 36, he noticed that he had no brakes; however, he had hydraulic pressure.' The pilot was not able to maintain directional control, and the airplane went off the right side of the runway and came to a stop in a ditch. According to the operator, the brake failure was due to failure of the hydraulic brake system for undetermined reason. At the time of the accident, the airplane had accumulated a total of 748 flight hours since new.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,000 hours in all; 948 in this make and model; 365 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 4,800 as pilot in command; 1,500 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 748 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 6, 1996; 90 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 9,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pzl-Kalisz PZL ASZ-62IR (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 7M1 at 12:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 3,008 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N7643J the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.