Pzl-Mielec MIG-17 accident near Amarillo, Texas, September 6, 1996
On September 6, 1996 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Pzl-Mielec MIG-17, registered N1719, was destroyed in an accident near Amarillo, Texas (Tradewind airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's excessive takeoff rotation which led to premature lift-off at a speed inadequate to maintain flight. A factor was the pilot's lack of experience in the MIG-17.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 6, 1996 · about 5:30 pm local time · cases in 1996
- Place
- Amarillo, Texas · Tradewind · cases near this airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Pzl-Mielec MIG-17
- Registration
- N1719 · registry record · serial 1C1719
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the takeoff roll, the airplane's aft fuselage skid struck the runway, and the airplane became airborne for a short distance. The airplane touched down to the right of the runway, became airborne again, and then impacted the ground right wing low, caught fire, and slid across a road before coming to rest. Witnesses reported that the airplane appeared 'to not want to fly' and 'acted as if it was too heavy to fly with the amount of airspeed it had.' The MIG-17 Flight Manual stated that the takeoff rotation should be performed 'by pulling gently the stick and hold[ing] the aircraft in this position till it gets airborne.' The pilot had accumulated a total of 13.6 flight hours in the MIG-17 airplane. The pilot did not respond to a request to provide the Safety Board with a written statement concerning the accident.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,000 hours in all; 14 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 19, 1996
- Maximum gross weight: 15,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Poland LIS-5 (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: TDW
- Destination: F39 Sherman TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 5,099 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 15 knots, gusting 23
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,500 ft; scat at 3,400 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:56 pm from AMA, 7 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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N1719 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Pzl-Mielec 17 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Poland LIS-5 · as the NTSB recorded it
- Tradewind Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Texas 6,244 since 1982 · 1,063 in the last ten years
- Texas 29,976 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/FTW96LA377.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.