Piper PA-60-601P accident near Laketown, Utah, October 20, 1988
On October 20, 1988 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Piper PA-60-601P, registered N6069U, was destroyed in an accident near Laketown, Utah. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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
- October 20, 1988 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Laketown, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-60-601P · all PA-60-601Ps on the register
- Registration
- N6069U · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT DEPARTED SALT LAKE CITY ON A PLEASURE FLT TO BEAR LAKE TO OVERFLY A HOME THAT HE OWNED. WITNESSES NEAR THE ACC SITE STATED THEY SAW THE ACFT CIRCLE OVER THE HOUSE AND THEN DEPART THE AREA OVER A RIDGE OF MTNS. THE ACFT TURNED OUT OVER THE LAKE AND WAS IN STRAIGHT AND LEVEL FLT SHORTLY BEFORE IT DESCENDED AT A STEEP ANGLE INTO THE WATER. THE AUTOPSY PERFORMED ON THE PLT REVEALED CORONARY ARTERIOSCLEROSIS. THE ASST MEDICAL EXAMINER STATED IN THE AUTOPSY REPORT THE PLT 'MAY HAVE BEEN RENDERED INCAPACITATED BY AN ACUTE CARDIAC ARRHYTHMIA.'
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: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,150 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 971 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 5, 1988; 18 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 6,000 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-S1A5 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SLC Salt Lake City UT at 6:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.