Piper PA-20 N1491A

Summary

On 13 February 2026 at about 22:42 local time, a Piper PA-20 registered N1491A was involved in an accident near Three Forks, Montana, 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

13 February 2026 at 22:42

Classification

Accident

Location

Three Forks, Montana, United States

Nearest airport

Three Forks (9S5)

Coordinates

45.8781, -111.5694

Aircraft

Piper PA-20

Registration

N1491A

Category

Airplane

Year built

1952

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

WPR26LA105

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional during the landing roll with a variable wind.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

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.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.