Wsk Pzl Mielec M-18A accident near Coopersville, Michigan, August 23, 1997
On August 23, 1997 at about 2:45 pm local time, a Wsk Pzl Mielec M-18A, registered N178RA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Coopersville, Michigan. 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 inadequate fuel system management which led to a fuel starvation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 23, 1997 · about 2:45 pm local time
- Place
- Coopersville, Michigan · 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
- N178RA · no longer on the register · serial 1Z015-10
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Following an agricultural flight, the pilot noticed that the right fuel tank was reading under 1/8 full and the left fuel tank was 1/4 full. The pilot opened the overflow valve and slipped the airplane to balance the fuel levels. The pilot did this maneuver twice and the fuel gauge indicated 1/8 full in both tanks. The pilot said that the fuel pressure was then lost and a total power loss occurred. He tried the regain fuel pressure by using the wobble pump but could not restart the engine. The airplane was moved and disassembled by the owner before the fuel tanks could be inspected. The owner said that the airplane manufacturer said fuel feed problems are caused by an air leak in the cover plates on the fuel tanks. The pilot did not dump his chemical load following the loss of engine power.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,644 hours in all; 420 in this make and model; 90 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 1,594 as pilot in command; 20 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,600 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 3, 1997; 134 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pezetel ASZ621RM18 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 33C Nunica MI at 1:45 pm
- Destination: 33C
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:56 pm from GRR, 28 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.