Wsk Pzl Mielec PZL-M-18 accident near Mendota, California, October 21, 1988
On October 21, 1988 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Wsk Pzl Mielec PZL-M-18, registered N4206A, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mendota, California (AG Strip airport). 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
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 21, 1988 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Mendota, California · AG Strip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Wsk Pzl Mielec PZL-M-18
- Registration
- N4206A · no longer on the register · serial 1200506
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ON TAKEOFF FOR AN AERIAL APPLICATION FLIGHT, THE AIRCRAFT FAILED TO CLEAR AN AGRICULTURAL BERM 300 FT BEYOND THE END OF THE RUNWAY AND NOSED OVER. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS LOADED WITH 500 GALLONS OF SODIUM CHLORATE AND THAT HE SHOULD HAVE LIMITED THE LOAD FOR THE CONDITIONS AT THE TIME OF THE DEPARTURE.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 5,289 hours in all; 220 in this make and model; 125 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 5,289 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,219 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 2, 1988; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 9,300 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pzl Mielec ASZ621R-M18 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 1,980 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°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.