A Piper PA-24-250, registration N7085P, sustained substantial damage following a landing gear collapse at James Clements Municipal Airport (3CM) in Bay City, Michigan, on January 8, 2026, at about 1500 local time. The event occurred during a full-stop landing on Runway 18. The pilot reported no injuries. Damage was reported to the aircraft’s fuselage lower skins, stringers, and box beams.
The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal general aviation operation. The departure point and destination were both listed as Bay City, Michigan, and no flight plan was filed. Weather near the time of the occurrence was reported as visual meteorological conditions, daytime, with clear skies and 10 miles visibility. Wind was reported from 160 degrees at 11 knots, and the runway surface was reported dry.
According to the pilot’s account, the airplane began to pull to the right after runway contact and did not decelerate as it normally would. The pilot attempted to maintain the runway centerline by applying full left rudder. The pilot reported that directional control was subsequently lost as the airplane rotated until it was perpendicular to the runway.
Following the loss of directional control, the nose landing gear collapsed and the airplane came to rest on the runway. No post-impact fire or explosion was reported. The event sequence was categorized as a landing gear collapse during landing, with an attempted remediation/recovery during the landing phase.
After the airplane was recovered from the runway, the pilot observed that the landing gear circuit breaker was tripped. The pilot reset the circuit breaker, after which the landing gear lowered and locked in the down position. A postaccident examination did not determine why the circuit breaker had tripped. The pilot also stated uncertainty as to whether the green gear-down indicator lights were illuminated prior to landing.
AviationBeacon Insight
Retractable-gear operations rely on consistent configuration verification before touchdown. In this event, the reported uncertainty about gear indication, combined with a tripped landing gear circuit breaker observed after recovery, highlights the importance of using a standardized approach checklist, verifying indication lights, and confirming gear position through available cues appropriate to the aircraft. Maintaining procedural discipline during the approach and landing phase can reduce workload at touchdown and help prevent configuration-related outcomes. When an abnormal indication is suspected, allocating time for verification actions before committing to landing can be operationally relevant.
Pilot Perspective: What specific “gear down” verification steps do you require on every approach in retractable-gear aircraft, and at what point do you commit to a go-around if confirmation is incomplete?
We welcome operational perspectives from readers.
