Fatal Crash of PZL-104 Wilga 35A (Pearland, Texas)

On May 29, 2021, at 1451 central daylight time, a PZL Warszawa-Okecie PZL-104 Wilga 35 airplane, N124MS, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident at the Pearland Regional Airport (LVJ), Pearland, Texas. The pilot was fatally injured; the passenger was seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Part 91 personal flight.

ADS-B data indicated that the flight departed the Texas Gulf Coast Regional Airport (LBX) at 1406. The pilot proceeded east and overflew a portion of Galveston Island before turning north to LVJ. He entered a left downwind for runway 14 and completed a continuous left turn from downwind to final approach. The final ADS-B data point was recorded at 1451:00 as the airplane was on short final about 51 ft from the runway arrival threshold. ADS-B data was not available for the accident sequence.

The pilot-rated passenger stated that it was a "good landing." The airplane touched down on the runway centerline and did not bounce. It was initially tracking straight down the runway until it veered to the right. The pilot applied left rudder, but the airplane did not respond. The airplane subsequently departed the runway pavement and encountered a ditch located between the runway and the parallel taxiway. She reported that there were no issues with the airplane during the accident flight.

A witness, located in a helicopter holding short of the runway at the time of the accident, reported that the airplane touched down near the 1,000-foot markers. He recalled that the main landing gear touched down briefly but the airplane became airborne again. About that time, the airplane veered to the right. It remained in a level attitude as it yawed to the right and exited the runway.

Airport surveillance video footage depicted the airplane during the downwind to final turn. The airplane appeared to be in a stabilized decent during that time. As the airplane reached short final, the camera field of view was obstructed a by a hangar on the airport. When the airplane re- a entered the field of view, the pilot initiated a landing flare. Shortly after the airplane appeared to settle onto the runway, it veered abruptly to the right, and it exited the runway pavement. The airplane subsequently encountered a ditch located between the runway and the parallel taxiway. The airplane dropped into the ditch momentarily, reappeared on the opposite side, and came to rest.

The pilot did not hold a current FAA medical certificate, and there was no record of him completing certification under the Basic Med program.

The NTSB determined the probable causes of this accident to be the pilot's loss of directional control during landing. Contributing to the severity of the accident was the presence of a drainage ditch between the runway and taxiway.

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00:00 Accident video
00:32 Zoomed in
00:51 Post-accident
01:33 Photos
02:06 Investigative records
03:50 Final accident report
06:11 Airframe maintenance records
08:00 Engine maintenance records

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