Wsk Pzl Mielec M-18A accident near Muskegon, Michigan, May 20, 2000
On May 20, 2000 at about 2:48 pm local time, a Wsk Pzl Mielec M-18A, registered N178RA, was destroyed in an accident near Muskegon, Michigan. It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the trees. Factors relating to this accident were the low altitude and the trees.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 20, 2000 · about 2:48 pm local time
- Place
- Muskegon, Michigan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Wsk Pzl Mielec M-18A
- Registration
- N178RA · no longer on the register · serial 1Z015-10
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A witness and her husband watched the airplane head southbound, make a 'U-turn' and head north toward her location. The witness said she heard the engine. 'There was no engine trouble. It sounded as if it were under full power. It was not sputtering. It sounded okay.' The witness said that as the airplane crossed the street in front of her house, 'it got caught in the tree tops, and went into the woods.' The husband said that he saw the airplane 'head south, then turn west, and then north (making a U-turn) over my residence ... The plane sounded normal, but appeared to be lower in the air than in previous passes in the area.' Approximately 50 feet north of his house, the husband said, 'the bottom of the plane began brushing the tree tops. I observed and heard the plane diving through the trees before it crashed to the ground. Approximately 30 seconds later, the plane burst into flames.' According to the airplane owner, the accident airplane was one of five airplanes contracted by the State of Michigan, to spray for Gypsy moths in the area north of Muskegon, Michigan. The airplane had been flown two previous times that day. An examination of the wreckage revealed no anomalies.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,948 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,258 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 30, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pezetel ASZ-621R-M18 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 33C Nunica MI at 2:25 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 7,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:45 pm from MKG, 15 miles away
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.
Other NTSB records under N178RA 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.