Piper PA-31-350 accident near Salt Lake City, Utah, November 12, 2007
On November 12, 2007 at about 3:50 pm local time, a Piper PA-31-350, registered N84859, was substantially damaged in an accident near Salt Lake City, Utah (Salt Lake City airport). It was a positioning 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 lower the landing gear prior to landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to use a written checklist.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 12, 2007 · about 3:50 pm local time
- Place
- Salt Lake City, Utah · Salt Lake City · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31-350 · all PA-31-350s on the register
- Registration
- N84859 · no longer on the register · serial 31-7305043
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was initially inbound for a straight-in landing, but was switched by the tower to a different runway. The pilot, who performed his pre-landing configuration actions from memory, failed to put the landing gear down, and landed with the landing gear still retracted. The pilot indicated that although he thought he had seen the illumination of the green landing gear position indicator lights while on short final, he had instead seen the reflection of the rays from the rising sun.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,750 hours in all; 518 in this make and model; 114 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 1,696 as pilot in command; 380 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 14,396 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, August 1, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 7,368 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-J2BD (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Salmon Air Taxi
The flight
- Departed from: PUC Price UT at 3:15 pm
- Destination: KSLC Salt Lake City UT
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 35, 9,596 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.35 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from SLC, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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 N84859 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.