Aero Commander 690 accident near Little America, Wyoming, August 25, 1984
On August 25, 1984 at about 4:30 pm local time, a Aero Commander 690, registered N9150N, was destroyed in an accident near Little America, Wyoming. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 4 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 25, 1984 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Little America, Wyoming · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Aero Commander 690 · all 690s on the register
- Registration
- N9150N · no longer on the register · serial 11063
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ABOUT 10 MIN AFTER TAKEOFF AT 1005 MDT, THE PLT WAS CLEARED TO CLIMB TO FL 190. THIS WAS ATC'S LAST COMMUNICATION WITH THE ACFT. AT 1030:39, THE CONTROLLER ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT THE PLT TO ADVISE THAT HE HAD LOST RADAR CONTACT & TO RECYCLE THE TRANSPONDER & SQUAWK 6062. THERE WAS NO RESPONSE. TWO WITNESSES REPORTED SEEING THE ACFT JUST BEFORE IT IMPACTED THE GROUND. ACCORDING TO THEM, THEY SAW FIRE &/OR AN EXPLOSION BEFORE IMPACT & ONE WITNESS REPORTED THE ACFT BROKE UP AFTER IT CAME BELOW AN ESTIMATED 1000 TO 1200 FT CEILING. HOWEVER, THE WRECKAGE WAS SCATTERED OVER A 2 MI AREA. AN EXAM REVEALED EVIDENCE OF A CATASTROPHIC IN-FLT BREAKUP FROM OVERLOAD WHICH INCLUDED POSITIVE OVERLOAD OF BOTH WINGS. RADAR DATA SHOWED THAT JUST BEFORE RADAR CONTACT WAS LOST, THE ACFT'S SPEED VARIED BETEEN 221 & 272 KTS, HEADING VARIED FROM 072 TO 014 DEG & VERTICAL VELOCITY VARIED FROM +300 TO -2400 FT/MIN. THUNDERSTORMS, TURBC, RAIN & CLD TOPS TO 25,000' WERE REPORTED. PROBABLE LGT TO MOD ICING IN CLDS ABOVE THE FREEZING LVL (14,000'). ACFT HAD WX RADAR ABOARD.
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: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,410 hours in all; 10 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 14, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 10,250 lb
- Seats: 8
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett TPE 331 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: OGD Ogden UT at 3:55 pm
- Destination: ARR Aurora IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded at 1,200 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:00 pm from RKS, 57 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
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.
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.