# NTSB WPR26LA093: Cessna 500, Great Falls, MT, January 19, 2026

- Type: NTSB accident investigation
- Classification: Accident · No injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Preliminary report
- Date: January 19, 2026, 13:03 local (20:03 UTC)
- Place: Great Falls, MT
- Coordinates: 47.479743, -111.36818 (estimated)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=47.4797&lon=-111.3682&mi=10
- Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping)
- Defining event: [Landing-landing roll: Landing gear collapse](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/094)
- Highest injury: No injuries
- Injuries: 2 uninjured
- Status: Investigation ongoing
- Investigation class: Class 3
- NTSB office: Western Pacific Region
- Parties: FAA - Helena FSDO
- NTSB case key (mKey): 202376
- NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=WPR26LA093
- NTSB preliminary report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/202376/pdf
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR26LA093

## Preliminary report

On January 19, 2026, about 1303 mountain standard time, a Cessna 500 airplane, C-GJVK, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident at Great Falls International Airport (GTF), Great Falls, Montana. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations personal flight. The pilot reported that during the approach he extended the landing gear and received an unsafe indication for the left main landing gear while the nose gear and right main landing gear indicated down and locked. He then moved the landing gear lever slightly and received a down and locked indication for the left main landing gear. All three landing gear down and locked lights were illuminated for the remainer of the approach. The landing was smooth and as the airplane slowed to about 30 knots, the pilot felt the left wing begin to lower and the left wing and flap then contacted the runway. The airplane veered slightly to the left and came to rest with the left wing over the grass and with the left main landing gear collapsed. Postaccident examination revealed that the airplane’s left wing sustained substantial damage. The airplane was recovered and retained for further examination.

## Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened.

- [Landing-landing roll: Landing gear collapse](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/094) (defining event); cases with it: [All aircraft, 1,787 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/094/sequence.md)

## Aircraft

- Registration: C-GJVK (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: CESSNA 500 (CITATION)
- Category: Airplane
- Serial number: 500-103
- Year built: 1973
- Airframe hours: 5337.1
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Flight: Personal, Part 91
- Registered owner: Dale Kirkwood
- Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal
- Last inspection: Continuous airworthiness, July 14, 2025
- Departed: IDA, Idaho Falls, ID
- Destination: GTF, Great Falls, MT
- Flight plan: IFR
- Airport: GTF, Great Falls Intl, runway 03/21, 10,502 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment: Handheld GPS, Stall warning system, ADS-B, Angle of attack indicator, Auto-pilot, Electronic multifunction display

## Weather

- Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day
- Wind: 240° at 16 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling: none
- Temperature: 45 °F, dew point 12 °F
- Altimeter: 30.17 inHg
- Observed at: KGTF, 1 nm away
- METAR: METAR KGTF 191953Z 24016G21KT 10SM CLR 07/M11 A3017 RMK AO2 SLP254 T00671106 $=

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

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