Wsk Pzl Mielec M-18A accident near Safford, Arizona, March 16, 2004
On March 16, 2004 at about 4:35 pm local time, a Wsk Pzl Mielec M-18A, registered N6259N, was destroyed in an accident near Safford, Arizona. 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
A loss of engine power due to fuel starvation and at least one ensuing engine power surge, which caused the airplane to pitch up abruptly into a stall at an altitude too low for recovery. Contributing to the accident were the pilot's mismanagement of the fuel supply, his failure to adhere to prescribed flight manual procedures for equalizing the fuel quantity distribution between the fuel tanks, and his failure to maintain adequate airspeed after the power loss.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 16, 2004 · about 4:35 pm local time
- Place
- Safford, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Wsk Pzl Mielec M-18A
- Registration
- N6259N · no longer on the register · serial 1Z026-05
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Public-use flight · public-use (government) rules
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The engine lost power while the pilot was turning the airplane onto the base leg of a simulated fire retardant drop pattern. Thereafter, the airplane stalled and collided with the ground while in an uncontrolled descent. The accident occurred during a public-use firefighting training flight supervised by the Department of Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM). During the flight the pilot was practicing dropping fire retardant in a designated area on a simulated wildland fire. A witness reported hearing the engine surge several times, after which the airplane's bank increased and it descended. The airplane impacted the ground in a near-vertical, nose-down pitch attitude. The airframe and engine were examined and no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunction was found. The airplane was dispatched with adequate fuel for the planned flight. In the airplane's flight manual, the manufacturer provided guidance regarding equalizing unbalanced wing tank fuel quantity levels to avoid fuel starvation from unequal consumption of fuel in the tanks. During the accident investigation, no fuel was found in either the left wing or header tanks, which had retained their integrity. The right wing tank was found ruptured. The pilot operated valve that allows fuel to flow between the main fuel tanks to equalize the amount of fuel in each tank was found in the closed position. The airplane was not equipped with optional low-fuel warning lights in the cockpit. In addition, the examination determined that the AW-2-30 propeller certificated for the airplane had been replaced with the larger, unapproved AW-2 propeller and that the airplane’s propeller logbook did not reflect this change.
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 multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 17,650 hours in all; 600 in this make and model; 75 in the last 90 days; 17,150 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,472 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 1, 2003; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 11,700 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Wsk Pzl Kalisz ASz621Rm18 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: U.S. Dept. Of Interior, Bureau Of Land Management
The flight
- Departed from: SAD Safford Regl AZ at 4:15 pm
- Destination: SAD
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 pm from SAD, 12 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.