Piper PA-31-350 accident near Blanding, Utah, September 27, 2000
On September 27, 2000 at about 8:50 pm local time, a Piper PA-31-350, registered N114SA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Blanding, Utah (Cal Black Memorial airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to follow the checklist and lower the landing gear for landing. A factor was diverted attention.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 27, 2000 · about 8:50 pm local time
- Place
- Blanding, Utah · Cal Black Memorial · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31-350 · all PA-31-350s on the register
- Registration
- N114SA · registry record · serial 31-8052053
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While on a passenger carrying, on demand, air taxi flight, the pilot made an approach to land at an uncontrolled airport to pick up additional passengers. During the approach, he was discussing the shortened runway, due to construction, with the UNICOM operator. The pilot said that due to the distraction of his conversation with the UNICOM operator, he forgot to lower the landing gear and landed with the landing gear retracted. He heard the landing gear warning horn when he reduced power, in the flare, for touchdown.
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
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: 14,000 hours in all; 900 in this make and model; 113 in the last 90 days; 36 in the last 30 days; 13,750 as pilot in command; 2,700 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 13,259 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 18, 2000; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 7,000 lb
- Seats: 9
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming TSIO-540-J2BD (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: U07 Halls Crossing UT at 8:47 pm
- Destination: U96
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 19, 5,700 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:56 pm from PGA, 62 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 4 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N114SA the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.