Wsk Pzl Mielec M-18A accident near St. George, Utah, June 17, 2004
On June 17, 2004 at about 11:46 pm local time, a Wsk Pzl Mielec M-18A, registered N8214J, was destroyed in an accident near St. George, Utah. It was a public-use flight under public-use (government) rules. 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed margin, resulting in a stall and loss of control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 17, 2004 · about 11:46 pm local time
- Place
- St. George, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Wsk Pzl Mielec M-18A
- Registration
- N8214J · no longer on the register · serial 1Z020-21
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Public-use flight · public-use (government) rules
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Following a fire retardant drop, the airplane pitched nose up about 10 degrees, and then the nose dropped down 45 degrees, and the airplane descended into the ground. Drop altitude was about 100 feet above ground level (agl), and the ground sloped down about 20 degrees throughout the drop zone. The pilot made one practice dry run at his request. On the second pass, the pilot told the tactical air controller that he overshot final, and was going around. On the third pass, the pilot called downwind, base, and final. The pilot made no other transmissions, and did not indicate that he was having any problems. Witnesses saw the retardant exit the airplane; however, the drop was not at the desired point, and not distributed in an even line as the pilot's previous drops had been. The drop angled about 10 degrees to the final approach course. The drop pattern was wide and heavy at the beginning, and narrow and thin at the end. This indicated that the pilot initiated the drop early while turning onto final. About 2 seconds after the drop, the nose of the airplane pitched up slightly, which was normal after a drop. The nose of the airplane then pitched down about 45 degrees. The airplane maintained this attitude until ground impact. A prominent bend of the propeller shaft and a twist in the vertical splines indicated that the engine was generating high power. Post flight examination of the wreckage did not reveal any anomalies with the flight control system. Stall speeds with vortex generators installed varied from 73 mph in the clean configuration to 72 mph with full flaps. Drop techniques, airspeed, and flap settings varied among Dromadier pilots. Some pilots flew at airspeeds of 85 to 90 mph to lesson the pitch up on pull out. The M-18 operator's manual indicated that, with the sudden shift in CG at retardant release, the airplane would pitch up, and airspeed could decrease as much as 12 mph.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 21,000 hours in all; 60 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,500 hours
- Maximum gross weight: 11,700 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Wsk Pzl Kalis WSK-PZL-K (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Bureau Of Land Management, Aviation Office
The flight
- Departed from: SGU St. George UT at 11:30 pm
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
- Observation at 11:55 pm from SGU
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.