Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
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.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
On July 1, 2003, about 1505 eastern daylight time, a WSK PZL Mielec M-18A, N82120, registered to and operated by Aero-Ad, Inc., nosed over during the takeoff roll from a private airstrip near Belle Glade, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the 14 CFR Part 137 local aerial application flight. The airplane was substantially damaged and the commercial-rated pilot, the sole occupant, was not injured. The flight was originating at the time of the accident.
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.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# MIA03LA138