Wsk Pzl Mielec PZL-M-18-A accident near Ingalls, Kansas, August 9, 1989
On August 9, 1989, a Wsk Pzl Mielec PZL-M-18-A, registered N7032M, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ingalls, Kansas. 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
IMPROPER PREFLIGHT PLANNING BY THE PILOT AND HIS FAILURE TO ATTAIN INADEQUATE AIRSPEED, WHICH RESULTED IN A STALL/SPIN. AS HE WAS ATTEMPTING TO AVOID A POWER TRANSMISSION LINE. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: RISING TERRAIN, TALL GRASS, TAILWIND AND THE TRANSMISSION WIRES.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 9, 1989
- Place
- Ingalls, Kansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Wsk Pzl Mielec PZL-M-18-A
- Registration
- N7032M · registry record · serial 12019-06
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING AN AERIAL APPLICATION FLIGHT, THE ACFT CRASHED NEAR A FIELD THAT WAS BEING SPRAYED. IMPACT OCCURRED IN AN AREA WHERE THE PLT WOULD HAVE BEEN MAKING A PROCEDURE TURN FOR ANOTHER SWATH RUN. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THAT THE ACFT HAD IMPACTED IN A STEEP DESCENT. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OF THE ACFT OR ENG WAS FOUND DURING THE INVESTIGATION.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,383 hours in all; 260 in this make and model; 230 in the last 90 days; 65 in the last 30 days; 2,292 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 273 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 12, 1988; 269 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 9,260 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pzl-Kalisz ASZ-62IR-M18 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 30K KS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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.