Douglas B-26B accident near Ponca City, Oklahoma, November 1, 2025
On November 1, 2025 at about 2:35 pm local time, a 1946 Douglas B-26B, registered N9682C, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Ponca City, Oklahoma (Ponca City Rgnl airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Failure of the nose landing gear link which resulted in a loss of directional.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 1, 2025 · about 2:35 pm local time
- Place
- Ponca City, Oklahoma · Ponca City Rgnl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Douglas B-26B, built 1946 · all B-26Bs on the register
- Registration
- N9682C · registry record · serial 4139230
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that on the takeoff roll, he detected a vibration that he initially attributed to nosewheel shimmy. The vibration became extreme within a few seconds, and the pilot attempted to abort the takeoff by reducing the engine throttles. During the deceleration, the airplane went to the right which the pilot was unable to correct using differential braking. The airplane went off of the paved runway surface and the nose landing gear collapsed forward. Postaccident inspection revealed that the nose landing gear upper retract link assembly had fractured which allowed the nose landing gear to partially collapse in the forward direction. The engine propellers contacted the ground during the event and the airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Landing gear collapse during takeoff defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Gear extension and retract sys › Failure
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Attain/maintain not possible
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,615 hours in all; 175 in this make and model; 81 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 7,223 as pilot in command; 1,827 on instruments
- Last flight review: February 27, 2025
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,000 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 72 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 7,800 as pilot in command; 4,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 26, 2025
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,989 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, February 15, 2024
- Maximum gross weight: 35,000 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Pratt & Whitney R-2800-27 (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt & Whitney R-2800-79 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: WDG Enid OK
- Runway 17/3, 7,201 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.25 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 am from KPNC
Weather report (METAR): METAR KPNC 011553Z AUTO 01008KT 10SM SCT100 11/01 A3025 RMK AO2 SLP242 T01060006=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN26LA041.