Piper PA60 accident near Salt Lake City, Utah, November 9, 2019
On November 9, 2019 at about 1:20 am local time, a 1984 Piper PA60, registered N914MB, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Salt Lake City, Utah (Salt Lake City Intl airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was 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 taxiway centerline guide and his distraction due to adjusting the radio, which resulted in his failure to maintain clearance from a taxiway light after landing and while taxiing to a ramp.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 9, 2019 · about 1:20 am local time
- Place
- Salt Lake City, Utah · Salt Lake City Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA60 700P, built 1984 · all PA60s on the register
- Registration
- N914MB · registry record · serial 60-8423008
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, during the night landing, he landed about 10 knots faster than normal and that, while exiting the runway, he did not follow the taxi centerline guide but instead taxied right of the centerline so that he could reach the taxiway as soon as possible. He was momentarily distracted while adjusting the radio as he was attempting to leave the runway. After completing the right turn, he recaptured the taxiway centerline and parked the airplane. During his preflight inspection the next morning, he found damage to the pressurized cabin and the right propeller. Upon further examination, the pilot noted that the right propeller had struck a taxiway light, which had dislodged the light and broken off the blade tip, and that the propeller blade tip had struck the cabin. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the cabin. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Miscellaneous/other during landing
- Collision during takeoff/land during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Runway/taxi/approach light › Effect on operation
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Attention › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,694 hours in all; 390 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 4,676 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 10, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 6,315 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: (piston); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Medical Management Inc
The flight
- Departed from: AFO Afton WY at 12:38 pm
- Destination: SLC Salt Lake City UT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 9,596 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 270° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 23,000 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.36 inHg
- Observation at 11:54 pm from KSLC, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on March 5, 2020. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Accident Photo | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.