Skip to content

Atlas / NTSB / DEN88FA090

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event DEN88FA090

1988-04-03 COLORADO SPRING, Colorado, United States Airport · COS Fatal 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N5WW

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

PIPER PA-30

Year of manufacture

1965 · 23 years old at event

TCDS

A1EA · PIPER AIRCRAFT INC

Engine

LYCOMING IO-320 SERIES (150 hp)

Seats / Engines

6 seats · 2 engines

Last airworthiness date

19650402

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S A63747

Registrant of record

CLARK NIKITA C

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Factual narrative

AFTER TAKEOFF THE ACFT FAILED TO CLIMB SUFFICIENTLY TO CLEAR A UTILITY POLE ONE-HALF MILE OFF THE END OF THE RUNWAY. THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH THE POLE AND CRASHED IN A RESIDENTIAL STREET. THE PLT AND THREE PAX WERE FATALLY INJURED AND THE ACFT WAS CONSUMED BY FIRE. AVAILABLE INFORMATION INDICATES THAT POWER REQUIRED WAS GREATER THAN POWER AVAILABLE FOR TAKEOFF AT NEAR MAX GROSS WT FROM THE HIGH ALTITUDE, HIGH DENSITY ALTITUDE ARPT, AND THE PLT WAS INEXPERIENCED IN HIGH ALTITUDE ARPT OPERATIONS. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1988_DEN88FA090.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.