Wsk Pzl Mielec M-18A accident near Belle Glade, Florida, July 1, 2003
On July 1, 2003 at about 7:05 pm local time, a Wsk Pzl Mielec M-18A, registered N82120, was substantially damaged in an accident near Belle Glade, Florida. 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 inability of the pilot to maintain directional control of the airplane following a blown right main landing gear tire during the takeoff roll, resulting in the airplane rolling into soft terrain and subsequent nose over. A factor in the accident was the pilot's delay in reducing power immediately after the blown tire.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 1, 2003 · about 7:05 pm local time
- Place
- Belle Glade, Florida · 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
- N82120 · no longer on the register · serial 1Z020-22
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that during the takeoff roll from the hard-packed rock road used as a runway, the right main landing gear tire blew. He applied left rudder input and slight left brake, but the airplane veered to the right, off the road onto soft sand/muck, and the airplane then nosed over. He further reported that the tire blew when the airplane was traveling about 70 mph, which was too slow to fly and too fast to stop before nosing over. The right main landing gear tire had been replaced in May 2003, and it had accumulated approximately 84 hours in service.
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: 2,500 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 104 in the last 90 days; 2,460 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 22, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,935.2 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 9,800 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Wsk Pzl Kalis ASz-621R-M18 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Aero-Ad, Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: Belle Glade FL at 7:05 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 3,800 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 2,700 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.09 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from KPBI
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.