- Date
- July 27, 1990, 14:13 local (20:13 UTC)
- Place
- Rawlins, WY
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N14004Lake LA-250
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 15, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900727028889A
- Case key
- 41250
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Pilot's improper planning/decision, and his misjudgement of the aircraft's climb capability in conditions of high density altitude and unanticipated atmospheric conditions. The high density altitude and rising terrain were related factors.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot of the lake amphibian took off and turned toward rising terrain, where he anticipated finding slope lift, due to the prevailing winds. He stated that he encountered sink instead, and he had unsufficient terrain clearance to make a course reversal. Subsequently, the aircraft collided with terrain. Density altitude at the time of the accident was approximately 9070 feet.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N14004
- Reported as
- Lake LA-250
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 008
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540, 250 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Lake Aircraft
- Destination
- S87 · Weiser, ID
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- RWL · Rawlins Muni, runway 22, 7,008 × 100 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 62
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 12,300 total · 1,100 in this make and model · 10,137 as pilot in command · 60 in the last 90 days · 16 in the last 30 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 18 knots
- Visibility
- 60 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- RWL, 3 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.