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20260119000339I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Cessna 320D · Flagstaff, AZ · January 19, 2026

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
January 19, 2026 · 17:45 local
Place
Flagstaff, AZ
Airport
Flagstaff Pulliam
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N3325Q
Reported as
Cessna 320D
Reported engine
Continental IO-520 series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
2,214 total
N3325QRegistered now · Cessna 320DS/N 320D0125Airframe modelCessna 320DEngine modelContinental IO-520 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

On January 19, 2026, a pilot was conducting a series of touch-and-go landings on runway 3 at Flagstaff, AZ airport under VFR conditions with clear skies and light, variable winds. No weather briefing was conducted prior to the flight. An annual maintenance inspection had been completed on January 9, 2026, and this was the first checkout flight following the inspection.

During the ascent of the second touch-and-go, the pilot and passenger heard and felt a thump but could not confirm nose gear retraction with a green light. The pilot performed four low passes, and each time, the control tower confirmed that the nose gear was not locked in position. The pilot attempted several gravity maneuvers and followed the pilot operating handbook procedures to manually extend the nose gear, but these efforts were unsuccessful.

Ultimately, the pilot landed the aircraft on the main gear, but the nose gear did not deploy, causing the aircraft to nose over and strike both propellers and the nose. The plane came to a stop in the center of the runway, resting on its main gear and nose.

As the FAA filed it

ON JANUARY 19, 2026, A PILOT WAS CONDUCTING A SERIES OF TOUCH-AND-GO LANDINGS ON RUNWAY 3 AT FLAGSTAFF, AZ AIRPORT UNDER VFR CONDITIONS WITH CLEAR SKIES AND LIGHT, VARIABLE WINDS. NO WEATHER BRIEFING WAS CONDUCTED PRIOR TO THE FLIGHT. AN ANNUAL MAINTENANCE INSPECTION HAD BEEN COMPLETED ON JANUARY 9, 2026, AND THIS WAS THE FIRST CHECKOUT FLIGHT FOLLOWING THE INSPECTION.

DURING THE ASCENT OF THE SECOND TOUCH-AND-GO, THE PILOT AND PASSENGER HEARD AND FELT A THUMP BUT COULD NOT CONFIRM NOSE GEAR RETRACTION WITH A GREEN LIGHT. THE PILOT PERFORMED FOUR LOW PASSES, AND EACH TIME, THE CONTROL TOWER CONFIRMED THAT THE NOSE GEAR WAS NOT LOCKED IN POSITION. THE PILOT ATTEMPTED SEVERAL GRAVITY MANEUVERS AND FOLLOWED THE PILOT OPERATING HANDBOOK PROCEDURES TO MANUALLY EXTEND THE NOSE GEAR, BUT THESE EFFORTS WERE UNSUCCESSFUL.

ULTIMATELY, THE PILOT LANDED THE AIRCRAFT ON THE MAIN GEAR, BUT THE NOSE GEAR DID NOT DEPLOY, CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO NOSE OVER AND STRIKE BOTH PROPELLERS AND THE NOSE. THE PLANE CAME TO A STOP IN THE CENTER OF THE RUNWAY, RESTING ON ITS MAIN GEAR AND NOSE.