- Date
- February 13, 2026, 15:42 local (22:42 UTC)
- Place
- Three Forks, MT · airport environment - runway
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1491APiper PA-20
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Loss of control on ground
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 30, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20260213000859A
- Case key
- 202448
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 maintain directional during the landing roll with a variable wind.
Findings · 3
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 of the tailwheel-equipped airplane reported that during the landing roll, the airplane encountered a gust of wind that lifted the left wing. While correcting, the airplane ground looped to the left and exited the left side of the runway. During the ground loop, the right wing struck the ground, which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing, horizontal stabilizer and fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. At the time of the accident the airplane landed on runway 21 with a variable wind at 7 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1491A
- Reported as
- Piper PA-20
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 20-840
- Built
- 1952
- Airframe hours
- 3,099.1
- Engine
- Lycoming O-290, 125 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Gray Wolf Aviation LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 23, 2025
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- 9S5 · Three Forks, runway 21, 5,099 × 60 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS
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
- 37
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 7, 2025
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 230.4 total · 139.5 in this make and model · 162.6 as pilot in command · 12.8 in the last 90 days · 10.7 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.96 inHg
- Observed at
- 5 nm away
- METAR
- 132256Z 08004KT 10SM CLR 08/M08 A2998 RMK AO2 SLP178 T00781078=
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 30, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.8 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.