Pilot Debrief

CESSNA 500 near Great Falls, MT — 2026-01-19

Investigation ongoingWPR26LA093
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Date
2026-01-19
Location
Great Falls, MT, USA
Airport
GTF
Aircraft
CESSNA 500
Registration
C-GJVK
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0

Probable cause

NTSB has not published a probable cause for this accident yet. Preliminary reports describe what happened; the cause is determined later, often 12–24 months after the event.

NTSB narrative

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.

Preliminary NTSB coding

  • Landing gear collapse · Landing-landing roll
View NTSB preliminary report

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