Preliminary information
On February 23, 2026, at 1800 Pacific standard time, a Piper PA-30, N811LE, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Big Bear, California. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane was operated as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
The pilot reported an uneventful flight from Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport (MYF), San Diego, California, to Big Bear City Airport (L35), Big Bear, California. Upon arrival at L35, the pilot extended the landing gear and saw that the nose landing gear was extended down, but the green landing gear light was not illuminated. After touchdown, the landing gear collapsed, and the airplane slid down the runway, which resulted in damage to the fuselage undercarriage.
The airplane was recovered to a secure facility for further examination.
Text from the NTSB; a preliminary report can change and names no cause. Open the NTSB docket for WPR26LA107 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Feb 24, 2026
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Big Bear, California
- Nearest airport
- Big Bear City (L35)
- Highest injury
- None
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Dusk
Piper PA-30
- N-number
- N811LE
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 1966
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.