Piper PA-28-161 accident near Tooele, Utah, October 1, 1993
On October 1, 1993, a Piper PA-28-161, registered N21170, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tooele, Utah (Bolinder Tooele Valley airport). It was an instructional 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 IN COMMAND'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL. A FACTOR CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE FENCE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 1, 1993
- Place
- Tooele, Utah · Bolinder Tooele Valley · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-161 · all PA-28-161s on the register
- Registration
- N21170 · no longer on the register · serial 28-7916029
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT PILOT LOST DIRECTIONAL CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT WHEN THE NOSE PITCHED UP DURING THE APPLICATION OF POWER UPON HIS FIRST TOUCH AND GO LANDING ON RUNWAY 34. THE AIRCRAFT DIVERGED 40 DEGREES TO THE LEFT OF THE RUNWAY CENTERLINE AND THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO REGAIN SUFFICIENT DIRECTIONAL CONTROL TO PREVENT THE AIRCRAFT FROM IMPACTING A BARBED WIRE FENCE WHICH PARALLELED THE RUNWAY.
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: student
- Flight time: 59 hours in all; 18 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 2 in the last 30 days; 9 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,547 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 8, 1993; 47 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-D3G (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SLC Salt Lake City UT at 11:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 5,498 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 70 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 16,000 ft; not recorded at 16,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:50 pm from SLC, 20 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 N21170 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.