On July 1, 2003, a Wsk Pzl Mielec M-18A (registration N82120) operated by Aero-ad, Inc. was involved in an aviation accident near Belle Glade, FL. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: 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. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A pilot reported that during takeoff from a hard-packed rock road, the right main landing gear tire blew at 70 mph. Despite left rudder and brake inputs, the airplane veered into soft sand and nosed over.
Incident Summary
The takeoff was being performed on a hard-packed rock road used as a runway. During the takeoff roll, the right main landing gear tire failed. The pilot applied left rudder input and a slight left brake application in an attempt to maintain directional control. Notwithstanding these actions, the airplane deviated to the right, exiting the road onto soft sand and muck. The aircraft then nosed over.
Pilot Report
According to the pilot, the tire blew when the airplane reached roughly 70 miles per hour. He remarked that this speed was below the takeoff speed and above the speed at which a stop could be accomplished before the nose-over.
Tire Information
The right main landing gear tire had been replaced in May 2003. At the time of the incident, it had logged approximately 84 hours of service since replacement.