Wsk Pzl Mielec PZL-M-18 accident near Wynne, Arkansas, July 2, 1986
On July 2, 1986 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Wsk Pzl Mielec PZL-M-18, registered N4685B, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wynne, Arkansas. 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
- July 2, 1986 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Wynne, Arkansas · 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
- N4685B · no longer on the register · serial 1Z012-10
- 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 PLT STATED THAT HE HAD BEEN FERTILIZING RICE CROPS THE MORNING PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT FLT AND THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE ACFT. HE FURTHER STATED THAT ON THE ACCIDENT FLT HE HAD ALREADY INITIATED THE TAKEOFF ROLL, WHEN HE REALIZED THAT THE FLT CONTROLS WERE LOCKED. ACCORDING TO THE PLT, BY THE TIME HE UNLOCKED THE CONTROLS THE ACFT HAD BECOME AIRBORNE AND HAD ESTABLISHED ITSELF IN A CRITICAL ATTITUDE FROM WHICH HE COULD NOT RECOVER.
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: 4,573 hours in all; 985 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 4,373 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,000 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 25, 1986; 99 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 9,260 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Wsk ASZ621R-16 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Wynne AR at 4:00 pm
- Destination: Wynne AR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.