Piper PA28-236 accident near S. Lake Tahoe, California, July 1, 1990
On July 1, 1990 at about 1:30 pm local time, a Piper PA28-236, registered N8442A, was substantially damaged in an accident near S. Lake Tahoe, California (Lake Tahoe airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN CLEARANCE BETWEEN THE AIRCRAFT AND AN OBSTRUCTION ALONG HIS GROUND TAXI ROUTE. OBSTRUCTIONS ALONG THE ROUTE AND A FENCE CONSTRUCTED NEAR THE RAMP ARE FACTORS IN THE ACCIDENT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 1, 1990 · about 1:30 pm local time
- Place
- S. Lake Tahoe, California · Lake Tahoe
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA28-236 · all PA28-236s on the register
- Registration
- N8442A · registry record · serial 8211006
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER LOADING HIS PASSENGERS, THE PILOT BEGAN HIS TAXI TO THE RUNWAY FOR TAKEOFF. HE TOOK A DIRECT ROUTE TOWARDS THE RUNWAY AND TAXIED OFF THE TAXIWAY MARKINGS AND IMPACTED A WOODEN FENCE THAT ENCLOSES A FUEL FARM.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,574 hours in all; 10 in this make and model; 33 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 1,081 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-J3A5D (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Navajo Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: TVL at 11:35 am
- Destination: CCR Concord CA
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 1:43 pm from TVL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N8442A the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX90LA255.