# Accident 19900414008879A: Piper PA24250, Wendover, UT, April 14, 1990

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 14, 1990, 23:30 local time
- Place: Wendover, UT
- Airport: Wendover Airport
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: To Init Climb(1st Pwr Reduct)
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 40.6008° N, 111.9599° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.6008&lon=-111.9599&mi=10
- Aircraft: N6401P, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N6401P-1990-08-15) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-24-250 (registry code 7102404, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-24-250) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA24250
- Reported engine: LYC O540A1C5
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Pilot flight hours: 635 total, 207 in this make and model, 9 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB DEN90FA092](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN90FA092) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19900414008879A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

PILOT ACTIVATED RUNWAY LIGHTS, WENT OFF PER 15 MINUTE TIMER AS PILOT TURNED DOWNWIND AFTER TAKEOFF. LOST CONTROL.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB DEN90FA092](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN90FA092), Apr 15, 1990: Piper PA-24-250 (N6401P), Wendover, UT, destroyed, 2 fatal. Probable cause: THE PILOT'S LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE DUE TO SPATIAL DISORIENTATION. CONTRIBUTING FACTOR(S) WAS: THE LACK OF SURFACE REFERENCE WHILE TAKING OFF OVER A SPARSELY POPULATED AREA UNDER DARK NIGHT…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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