Wsk Pzl Mielec M-18-A accident near Blythe, California, February 16, 1996
On February 16, 1996 at about 1:00 am local time, a Wsk Pzl Mielec M-18-A, registered N92640, was destroyed in an accident near Blythe, California (Dirt 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 pilot's premature lift-off and subsequent loss of control due to his failure to monitor the airspeed indicator during the takeoff roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 16, 1996 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- Blythe, California · Dirt 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 M-18-A
- Registration
- N92640 · no longer on the register · serial 1Z025-22
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot attempted a takeoff with a full load of chemical and water from a 2,500-foot dirt strip. The aircraft did not get airborne, veered off to the right side of the runway, collided with a canal, and then bounced over the canal and collided with the ground where the gear separated from the aircraft. The pilot indicated that the engine tachometer and manifold pressure were in the normal ranges and that the airplane just wouldn't lift off. He stated that he didn't look at the airspeed indicator during the takeoff. There were no mechanical problems reported.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 35 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 10,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 58 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 10, 1995; 58 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 12,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pzl-Kalisz ASZ62IK (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Farm Strip CA at 1:00 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0, 2,500 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 25 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.
Other NTSB records under N92640 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX96LA113.