Piper PA-28-140 accident near West Valley City, Utah, March 21, 2026
On March 21, 2026 at about 10:10 pm local time, a 1968 Piper PA-28-140, registered N7328J, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near West Valley City, Utah. It was a personal 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 21, 2026 · about 10:10 pm local time
- Place
- West Valley City, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140, built 1968 · all PA-28-140s on the register
- Registration
- N7328J · registry record · serial 28-24682
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On March 21, 2026, about 1610 mountain daylight time, a Piper PA-28-140, N7328J, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near West Valley City, Utah. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot reported that they departed from the South Valley Regional Airport, Salt Lake City, Utah (SVR) for a local flight. While returning to the departure airport, at an altitude of about 5,800 ft mean sea level (msl), the engine experienced a partial loss of power. He utilized the airplane checklist to troubleshoot the loss of engine power, however, was unable to restore engine power. Unable to maintain altitude, he elected to make an off-airport landing on an open dirt field. During the landing roll, the airplane encountered rough terrain, the nose and right landing gear collapsed, and the airplane’s right wing impacted the dirt surface. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that the right wing and aileron were substantially damaged. The wreckage was recovered for further examination.
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
- Loss of engine power (partial) during enroute defining event
The aircraft
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: SVR Salt Lake City UT at 8:20 pm
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; a few clouds at 1,200 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
- Observation at 4:00 pm from KSLC, 8 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KSLC 212154Z 33008KT 10SM FEW012 SCT190 BKN250 28/M03 A2992 RMK AO2 SLP088 FU FEW012 FU N T02781033 $
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR26LA132.