Wsk Pzl Mielec M-18 DROMADER accident near Burley, Idaho, July 11, 2000
On July 11, 2000 at about 11:20 pm local time, a Wsk Pzl Mielec M-18 DROMADER, registered N2054S, was destroyed in an accident near Burley, Idaho (Rocky Ridge airport). It was an aerial application (crop spraying) flight under agricultural flying rules (Part 137). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Improper airstrip operations by ground personnel, and the pilot's failure to visually detect a vehicle on the airstrip in time to avoid a collision. Factors included a vehicle on the airstrip, tailwind conditions, and high density altitude conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 11, 2000 · about 11:20 pm local time
- Place
- Burley, Idaho · Rocky Ridge · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Wsk Pzl Mielec M-18 DROMADER M-18 DROMA
- Registration
- N2054S · registry record · serial 1Z0011-14
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Aerial application (crop spraying) flight · agricultural flying rules (Part 137)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After the pilot took off on the accident flight, and unknown to the pilot, the ground crew moved a fertilizer loading truck onto the end of the airstrip. Ground crew witnesses reported that this was not the fertilizer truck's usual or desired parking location. The pilot reported that he did not notice the truck being moved there when he was returning to land, stating that the area is a busy area for agricultural aircraft operations. The pilot stated that he attempted a go-around when he spotted the truck on landing, but that the landing was made with a 10- to 15-knot quartering tailwind, and that the temperature at the airstrip (elevation approximately 4,300 feet) was approximately 98 to 99 degrees F. The pilot stated that he was not able to clear the truck on the go-around, and that the fertilizer spreader on the aircraft caught the truck auger (which was located about 5 to 6 feet above the bin.) The aircraft nosed into a wheat field off the end of the runway, collided with the ground, slid and burned. The pilot escaped the aircraft with minor injuries. Density altitude at the time was approximately 7,800 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; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 16,606 hours in all; 1,800 in this make and model; 77 in the last 90 days; 75 in the last 30 days; 16,377 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 9,280 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Wsk Pzl Kalis ASZ-621R-M18 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: A-1 Aviation
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 3,500 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 045° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 99°F (37°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.
Other NTSB records under N2054S 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.