Wsk Pzl Mielec M-18A accident near Roanoke, Louisiana, October 27, 1997
On October 27, 1997 at about 5:17 pm local time, a Wsk Pzl Mielec M-18A, registered N149RA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Roanoke, Louisiana. 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
loss of engine power for an undetermined reason(s). A factor relating to the accident was: the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 27, 1997 · about 5:17 pm local time
- Place
- Roanoke, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Wsk Pzl Mielec M-18A
- Registration
- N149RA · no longer on the register · serial 1Z015-18
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While maneuvering during an aerial application flight, the agricultural airplane's engine lost power, and the pilot executed a forced landing in a field. During the landing roll, the left wing contacted a tree, which turned the airplane left into a ditch running along the edge of the field. The airplane nosed down and came to a stop in the ditch. Fuel was found in the airplane's fuel tanks, fuel filter, and carburetor. The radial engine was removed from the airframe and run on a test stand for 1 hour 16 minutes with no discrepancies noted. After the airframe was repaired, the engine was reinstalled, and it operated with no discrepancies noted. The reason for the engine power loss could not be determined.
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
- Flight time: 16,000 hours in all; 3,500 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 16,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,522 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 14, 1997; 697 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 10,340 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pzl-Kalisz ASZ-62IR-M18 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3R7 Jennings LA at 4:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°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.
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.