What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On September 1, 2026, a jet aircraft carrying two flight crew members and four passengers conducted an approach to Porterville, California. The flight crew executed an unstabilized approach characterized by a steep descent profile and excessive airspeed, recording a descent rate exceeding 4,000 feet per minute and an airspeed 160 knots above the reference landing speed. The aircraft subsequently crossed the runway threshold at a low altitude. The aircraft touched down beyond the runway midpoint with the landing gear in transit and the wing flaps fully retracted. This left insufficient remaining runway distance to safely stop, resulting in a runway excursion. The aircraft overran the departure end of the runway, breached the airport perimeter fence, traversed an adjacent roadway, and came to rest in a dirt field. Impact forces sheared the nose and right main landing gear assemblies and compromised the fuel system, resulting in an active fuel leak. Following the ground impact, both engines continued to operate at high power settings. All six occupants evacuated the aircraft without reported injuries. Post-accident examination of the wreckage revealed the wing flaps were in the fully retracted position, the engine thrust reversers were stowed, and the associated hydraulic pump circuit breaker had tripped. First responders subsequently secured the engines and contained the accident site.
As the FAA filed it
ON SEPTEMBER 1, 2026, A JET AIRCRAFT CARRYING TWO FLIGHT CREW MEMBERS AND FOUR PASSENGERS CONDUCTED AN APPROACH TO PORTERVILLE, CALIFORNIA. THE FLIGHT CREW EXECUTED AN UNSTABILIZED APPROACH CHARACTERIZED BY A STEEP DESCENT PROFILE AND EXCESSIVE AIRSPEED, RECORDING A DESCENT RATE EXCEEDING 4,000 FEET PER MINUTE AND AN AIRSPEED 160 KNOTS ABOVE THE REFERENCE LANDING SPEED. THE AIRCRAFT SUBSEQUENTLY CROSSED THE RUNWAY THRESHOLD AT A LOW ALTITUDE.THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN BEYOND THE RUNWAY MIDPOINT WITH THE LANDING GEAR IN TRANSIT AND THE WING FLAPS FULLY RETRACTED. THIS LEFT INSUFFICIENT REMAINING RUNWAY DISTANCE TO SAFELY STOP, RESULTING IN A RUNWAY EXCURSION. THE AIRCRAFT OVERRAN THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUNWAY, BREACHED THE AIRPORT PERIMETER FENCE, TRAVERSED AN ADJACENT ROADWAY, AND CAME TO REST IN A DIRT FIELD. IMPACT FORCES SHEARED THE NOSE AND RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR ASSEMBLIES AND COMPROMISED THE FUEL SYSTEM, RESULTING IN AN ACTIVE FUEL LEAK. FOLLOWING THE GROUND IMPACT, BOTH ENGINES CONTINUED TO OPERATE AT HIGH POWER SETTINGS. ALL SIX OCCUPANTS EVACUATED THE AIRCRAFT WITHOUT REPORTED INJURIES.POST-ACCIDENT EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED THE WING FLAPS WERE IN THE FULLY RETRACTED POSITION, THE ENGINE THRUST REVERSERS WERE STOWED, AND THE ASSOCIATED HYDRAULIC PUMP CIRCUIT BREAKER HAD TRIPPED. FIRST RESPONDERS SUBSEQUENTLY SECURED THE ENGINES AND CONTAINED THE ACCIDENT SITE.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.