Wsk-Pzl Warzawa-Okecie PZL-104 WILGA 80 accident near Linton, North Dakota, May 15, 2010
On May 15, 2010 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Wsk-Pzl Warzawa-Okecie PZL-104 WILGA 80, registered N4346M, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Linton, North Dakota (Linton Municipal Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during landing with a 90-degree crosswind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 15, 2010 · about 5:00 pm local time · cases in 2010
- Place
- Linton, North Dakota · Linton Municipal Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Wsk-Pzl Warzawa-Okecie PZL-104 WILGA 80 · all PZL-104 WILGA 80s on the register
- Registration
- N4346M · registry record · serial CF21910928
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he needed to make an en route fuel stop due to low fuel. The airport that was available had only one runway which necessitated making a 90-degree crosswind landing. He reported that the winds were 180 degrees at 15 knots gusting to 18 knots. The pilot flew a stabilized approach utilizing good crosswind control. He reported that at touchdown, a wind gust overcame the available rudder authority, and the airplane ground looped. The right wing and elevator sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that “better preflight planning could have identified alternate fuel stops at airports with multiple runways, and avoided the need to land in excessive crosswinds due to low fuel.”
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Dragged wing/rotor/float/other during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Flight planning/navigation › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Crosswind correction › Capability exceeded
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 513 hours in all; 192 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 498 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 2009
- Maximum gross weight: 2,866 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Pzl US 122 000 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: VVV Ortonville MN at 2:30 pm
- Destination: DIK Dickenson ND
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 27
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 15 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on July 9, 2010. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 8 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N4346M on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Wsk-Pzl Warzawa-Okecie PZL-104 16 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Wsk-Pzl Warzawa-Okecie 16 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Pzl US 122 000 · as the NTSB recorded it
- Linton Municipal · nearest airport
- Ortonville Muni/Martinson Field · departed from
- Dickinson/Theodore Roosevelt Regional · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in North Dakota 581 since 1982 · 59 in the last ten years
- North Dakota 2,495 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN10CA333.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.