Piper PA-28R-201 N850FS

Summary

On 20 November 2002 at about 23:00 local time, a Piper PA-28R-201 registered N850FS was involved in an accident near Tooele, Utah, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

20 November 2002 at 23:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Tooele, Utah, United States

Nearest airport

Bolinder Field (TVY)

Coordinates

40.6122, -112.3506

Aircraft

Piper PA-28R-201

Registration

N850FS

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Salt Lake City → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN03LA017

Nobody was injured.

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.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

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.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.