Wsk Pzl Mielec M-18A accident near Muskegon, MI
On May 20, 2000, a Wsk Pzl Mielec M-18A (airplane) was involved in an accident near Muskegon, MI. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- May 20, 2000
- Place
- Muskegon, MI
- Aircraft
- Wsk Pzl Mielec M-18A · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 43.239°N, 86.250°W
- NTSB ID
- 20010505X00886
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On May 20, 2000, at 1048 eastern daylight time (edt), a WSK PZL Mielec M-18A, N178RA, operated by a commercial pilot, was destroyed when it impacted into a wooded area, 15 miles north of Muskegon, Michigan. A post-crash fire ensued. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The aerial application flight was being conducted under 14 CFR Part 137. No flight plan was on file. The pilot was fatally injured in the post-crash fire. The local flight originated at Nunica, Michigan, at approximately 1025 edt. A witness, standing outside her house with her husband, approximately 250 feet from the accident site, saw the airplane cross the east-west running street in front of their house, heading southbound. The witness said the airplane made a "U-turn," and headed back to the north. The witness said she heard the engine. "There was no engine trouble. It sounded as if it were under full power. It was not sputtering. It sounded okay." The witness said that as the airplane crossed the street, "it got caught in the tree tops, and went into the woods." The husband said that he saw the airplane "head south, then turn west, and then north (making a U-turn) over my residence ... The plane sounded normal, but appeared to be lower in the air than in previous passes in the area." Approximately 50 feet north of his house, the husband said, "the bottom of the plane began brushing the tree tops. I observed and heard the plane diving through the trees before it crashed to the ground. Approximately 30 seconds later, the plane burst into flames." Other w
Probable cause
the pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the trees. Factors relating to this accident were the low altitude and the trees.
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Browse: Michigan · Wsk Pzl Mielec aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
