Piper PA24 N7085P

Summary

On 8 January 2026 at about 20:00 local time, a Piper PA24 registered N7085P was involved in an accident near Bay City, Michigan, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

8 January 2026 at 20:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Bay City, Michigan, United States

Nearest airport

James Clements Municipal Airpo (3CM)

Coordinates

43.5492, -83.8952

Aircraft

Piper PA24

Registration

N7085P

Category

Airplane

Year built

1961

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN26LA089

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to ensure the landing gear was down and locked before landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

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.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.