Piper PA-28R-201 accident near Tooele, Utah, November 20, 2002
On November 20, 2002 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Piper PA-28R-201, registered N850FS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tooele, Utah (Bolinder Field). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the inadvertent retraction of the landing gear during landing roll by the dual student. Contributing factors included the dual student's lack of familiarity with the aircraft, inadequate supervision by the flight instructor, and improper rigging of the landing gear squat switch.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 20, 2002 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Tooele, Utah · Bolinder Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28R-201 · all PA-28R-201s on the register
- Registration
- N850FS · registry record · serial 2844080
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the instructor, the purpose of the flight was to prepare the student for dual cross-country flights and to familiarize him with the Piper PA-28R-201. Prior to this flight, the student pilot had been flying a Diamond Alarus, a training type airplane. They flew to a nearby airport, where they made three touch and go landings. On the fourth touch and go landing, the student pilot "assertively retracted the gear without warning" instead of the flaps. The right main and nose landing gear retracted and the airplane veered off the right side of the runway. The right wing struck a taxiway light, spinning the airplane around, and the left side of the fuselage struck a taxiway sign. The right wing was wrinkled and there was a gash from the leading edge back to the spar. The prop blade was bent. The left side of the fuselage was also wrinkled and buckled. According to FAA inspectors who examined the airplane, the squat switch on the landing gear had been rigged incorrectly. The squat switch actuated at .625 inches, exceeding the airplane's service manual requirement by .375 inches, or 150 percent. There were no entries in the maintenance records entries involving the squat switch. The torque seal on the squat switch mounting screws showed no signs of being disturbed.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 669 hours in all; 65 in this make and model; 235 in the last 90 days; 61 in the last 30 days; 629 as pilot in command; 305 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 10, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (invalid medical for flight)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 28 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 28 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 1 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 194 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 25, 2002; 38 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,750 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-C1C6 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SLC Salt Lake City UT at 9:45 pm
- Destination: SLC
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 6,100 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.52 inHg
- Observation at 10:56 pm from SLC, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.
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.