Wsk Pzl Mielec PZL M18B accident near Plainview, Texas, September 28, 2001
On September 28, 2001 at about 9:20 pm local time, a Wsk Pzl Mielec PZL M18B, registered N203MC, was destroyed in an accident near Plainview, Texas. 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 stand pipe while maneuvering during aerial application.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 28, 2001 · about 9:20 pm local time
- Place
- Plainview, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Wsk Pzl Mielec PZL M18B
- Registration
- N203MC · registry record · serial 1Z027-12
- 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 was completing an aerial application to a field when the airplane's left wing struck a standpipe. After the airplane struck the pipe, it traveled to the west approximately 4 miles. The pilot then reported that "he could not hold it anymore", and subsequently, the airplane impacted the terrain. The 30-foot tall standpipe displayed an impact mark approximately 4 feet from the top. The outer 4 1/2 feet of the left wing, outer 1 foot of the left aileron, and red glass from the left navigation light lens, were found in a 300-foot long debris field northwest of the standpipe.
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: 1,924 hours in all; 196 in this make and model; 129 in the last 90 days; 95 in the last 30 days; 1,829 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 25, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 379.7 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 16, 2001
- Maximum gross weight: 5,300 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Wsk Pzl Kalis PZL ASZ-62IR (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Kllr Spraying Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: PVW Plainview TX
- Destination: PVW
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
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.