​​This information is preliminary and subject to change.

​Release Date 5 Feb. ​2026​ 

On January 14, 2026, at about 10:04 a.m. Pacific standard time, a 2021 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck (pickup truck), occupied by a 41-year-old driver, was traveling south on Highway 99W (Hwy 99W), near Corning, in Tehama County, California. At the same time, a 2018 Glaval Bus Universal US50225C 17-passenger medium-size bus (bus), being operated as a Tehama Rural Area eXpress (TRAX) transit bus, was traveling north on Hwy 99W. The bus was occupied by a 50-year-old driver and five passengers. As the vehicles approached each other, the pickup truck crossed over the broken yellow centerline into the northbound lane, where it collided head-on with the bus. A postcrash fire ensued and consumed the bus. As a result of the crash and postcrash fire, the drivers of both vehicles and four transit bus passengers were fatally injured. The remaining bus passenger sustained serious injuries and was airlifted to a hospital.

At this location, Hwy 99W is an undivided two-lane asphalt concrete roadway with one lane for each direction. Each lane is about 12 feet wide. The two lanes were separated by a broken yellow centerline supplemented with two-way yellow retroreflective pavement markers. The posted speed limit at the crash location was 55 mph. 

​Parties to the NTSB investigation include:

• ​Federal Transit Administration
• California Highway Patrol
• Tehama County Public Works
  

All aspects of the crash remain under investigation while the NTSB determines the probable cause, with the intent of issuing safety recommendations to prevent similar events.