Wsk Pzl Mielec M-18A accident near Mountain Home, Idaho, November 8, 2008
On November 8, 2008 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Wsk Pzl Mielec M-18A, registered N81705, was substantially damaged in an accident during standing (engine(s) operating) near Mountain Home, Idaho (Mountain Home Municipal Airpor 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate preflight inspection, and, his failure to properly secure the aircraft as he left the cockpit with the engine operating, which resulted in the unoccupied airplane inadvertently becoming airborne and colliding with a fence and terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 8, 2008 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Mountain Home, Idaho · Mountain Home Municipal Airpor · 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
- N81705 · no longer on the register · serial 1Z020-17
- 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 reported he was taxing the airplane to the active runway when he realized the airplane's tail wheel lock was engaged. With the engine still running, the pilot set the parking brake, installed the control lock and exited the airplane with the intention of manually unlocking the tail wheel. When the pilot exited the cockpit he inadvertently knocked/pushed the throttle forward, to a high power setting, and the airplane started to roll across the taxiway. The unoccupied airplane accelerated, momentarily became airborne, and collided with an airport perimeter fence and terrain. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, empennage and both wings. No pre accident mechanical malfunctions or failures were 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
What happened, in order
- Preflight or dispatch event during standing (engine(s) operating)
- Ground handling event during standing (engine(s) operating) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Preflight inspection › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft handling/service › Parking/securing › (general) › Incorrect use/operation
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 18,400 hours in all; 5,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,733 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 14, 2008
- Maximum gross weight: 11,200 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pezetel ASZ-621R-M18 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: A-1 Aviation INC
The flight
- Departed from: U76 Mountain Home ID at 7:00 pm
- Destination: U76 Mountain Home ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 10, 5,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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 N81705 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 WPR09CA041.