Wsk Pzl Mielec PZL M18B accident near Tappen, North Dakota, September 11, 1998
On September 11, 1998, a Wsk Pzl Mielec PZL M18B, registered N4450M, was destroyed in an accident near Tappen, North Dakota (Sitzman Farm 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 preflight preparation resulting in the airplane exceeding the available airstrip distance during takeoff. A factor contributing to this accident was the swamp.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 11, 1998
- Place
- Tappen, North Dakota · Sitzman Farm · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Wsk Pzl Mielec PZL M18B
- Registration
- N4450M · registry record · serial 1Z027-06
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that the airplane lifted off normally, but then wanted to set back down. The pilot lowered the flaps to 15-degrees in hopes of keeping the airplane from settling. Lowering flaps did not seem to help. The pilot said that he then went for the dump handle, but could not find it initially. When he did find it, the airplane impacted into a swamp just off the end of the 3,000 foot long airstrip. Examination of the wreckage revealed no anomalies. According to the Takeoff Distance Chart in the PZL M18B Aircraft Flight Manual, an airplane with atomizers and zero flaps extended, weighing 10,700 pounds, at a temperature of 33 degrees Centigrade, and zero headwind, will require a takeoff distance of approximately 3,600 feet.
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
- Flight time: 5,210 hours in all; 1,334 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 206 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 206 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 11,970 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Wsk Pzl Kalis ASZ-6ZIR-M18 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27, 3,000 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:55 pm from BIS, 43 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 N4450M the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CHI98LA337.