Porterville, United States: A Cessna 560XL business jet carrying four Bay Area doctors crashed while landing at Porterville Municipal Airport in Tulare County, California, on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, after the aircraft ran off the runway and came to rest in a field. All six people aboard, including two pilots and four doctors, escaped safely and no deaths or serious injuries were reported.
The aircraft was carrying the medical team from the Bay Area to Porterville for a scheduled surgical procedure. No patient was aboard the aircraft. The identities of the four doctors and two pilots had not been released.
Flight-tracking data identified the aircraft as a Cessna 560XL, registration N562JL, serial number 560-5248. Tracking records show the jet first flew from San Jose International Airport to Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport, departing San Jose at about 9:14 a.m. PDT and reaching Oakland at about 9:24 a.m. It then departed Oakland at approximately 11:06 a.m. for Porterville. The aircraft reached the Porterville area roughly 36 minutes later.
The aircraft was landing at Porterville Municipal Airport shortly before 11:45 a.m. when it overran the runway. Reports indicate that it slid or ran beyond the runway and ended up in a field southeast of the airport, near Teapot Dome Avenue and Newcomb Street. The aircraft made a hard landing and that the landing gear collapsed, although investigators have not established whether that was a cause or consequence of the accident.
The Tulare County Sheriff’s Office was called to the area at about 11:45 a.m. Deputies arriving at the scene found the aircraft in a field with smoke coming from it. The occupants had evacuated, and emergency personnel secured the aircraft. The Porterville Fire Department said crews worked with the pilots and other emergency personnel to secure the aircraft’s power sources after the occupants had exited.
The crash prompted temporary road closures around the airport as emergency crews responded. Despite the aircraft leaving the runway, airport operations were expected to continue because the wreckage was no longer obstructing the runway.
There were no fatalities. All four doctors and both pilots were able to leave the aircraft safely. Some early reports gave the number of occupants as seven, but the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office later corrected the figure to six, and subsequent reports consistently identified the occupants as two pilots and four doctors.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the accident. The precise reason the aircraft ran off the runway has not been established. Investigators will determine what happened during the approach and landing, including the aircraft’s speed, configuration, landing performance, runway conditions, weather and any possible mechanical or operational factors. No official cause has been announced.
