- Date
- January 8, 2026, 15:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Bay City, MI · Airplane came to a stop on the right side of runway 18 at the 1st taxiway turn off
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N7085PPiper PA24
- Defining event
- Landing: Landing gear collapse
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 12, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA Grand Rapids FSDO
- FAA report
- 20260108001259A
- Case key
- 202285
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to ensure the landing gear was down and locked before landing.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that upon runway contact, the airplane began to pull to the right and not slowing down like it normally would. The pilot attempted to keep the aircraft on the runway centerline by applying full left rudder. Subsequently, the pilot lost directional control as the airplane spun perpendicular to the runway. The nose landing gear collapsed, and the airplane came to rest on the runway. The pilot reported that he was not sure if the green gear down indicator lights were illuminated prior to landing. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the lower skins, stringers, and box beams on the fuselage. After the airplane was recovered from the runway, the pilot noticed the landing gear circuit breaker was tripped. Upon resetting the circuit breaker, the landing gear lowered and locked in the down position. Postaccident examination did not reveal why the circuit breaker had tripped.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7085P
- Reported as
- Piper PA24 (250)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24-2238
- Built
- 1961
- Airframe hours
- 4,435
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-A1D5, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 23, 2025 · 45.7 hours before
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- 3CM · James Clements Municipal Airport, runway 18, 3,798 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, Handheld GPS, ADS-B
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 77
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 24, 2024
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 5,822 total · 3,500 in this make and model · 5,092.5 as pilot in command · 10.7 in the last 90 days · 1.2 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 50 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.87 inHg
- Observed at
- KMBS, 8 nm away
- METAR
- KMBS 081953Z AUTO 16011KT 10SM CLR 10/03 A2987
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 12, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 6.5 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.