Wsk Pzl Mielec M-18B accident near Caldwell, Idaho, July 3, 2013
On July 3, 2013 at about 12:05 pm local time, a 1984 Wsk Pzl Mielec M-18B, registered N7643J, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Caldwell, Idaho (Hubler Field 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 improper decision to continue the takeoff with a tailwind after he recognized a performance problem with the airplane and his delayed action to dump the chemical load.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 3, 2013 · about 12:05 pm local time
- Place
- Caldwell, Idaho · Hubler Field Airport · 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-18B, built 1984
- Registration
- N7643J · no longer on the register · serial 1Z025-18
- 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 that, when he applied power for takeoff on an aerial application flight, the airplane seemed to accelerate normally until the tailwheel lifted off the ground. He adjusted the power lever forward, but the torque did not seem to increase. The pilot stated that, at that point, it was "unlikely" that the airplane would lift off the ground before it reached the end of the runway but that it was "too late to abort" the takeoff. The pilot advanced the power lever full forward and held it there. He then jettisoned the applicant load and simultaneously pulled back on the control stick. The main landing gear wheels lifted off the ground but the tailwheel did not. The airplane subsequently collided with a fence and came to rest in a river. A postaccident examination of the engine revealed no evidence of mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. An 8-knot tailwind existed at the time of the takeoff, which most likely resulted in the airplane's performance deficiency. The pilot further reported that "a more prompt recognition of the problem and an earlier decision to dump the load [of applicant] may possibly have prevented the aircraft from hitting the fence."
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 takeoff
- Other weather encounter during takeoff
- Miscellaneous/other during takeoff defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Tailwind › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,190 hours in all; 105 in this make and model; 221 in the last 90 days; 128 in the last 30 days; 2,062 as pilot in command; 128 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 13, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,523 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 2013
- Maximum gross weight: 11,700 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Garrett Airesearch TPE331 (turboprop); 12,982 hours total
- Operator: Valley Air Service INC
The flight
- Departed from: ID00 Caldwell ID at 1:05 pm
- Destination: ID00 Caldwell ID
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 28, 2,800 ft by 20 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 12:15 pm from EUL, 4 miles away
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 N7643J the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.