# NTSB CEN22LA297: Cub Crafters CC18-180, N469AK, Air Force Academy, CO, July 1, 2022 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Minor injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Final report - Date: July 1, 2022, 12:25 local (18:25 UTC) - Place: Air Force Academy, CO · Landing to runway 16R. - Coordinates: 38.978041, -104.82332 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.9780&lon=-104.8233&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Approach](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/500) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Approach-VFR go-around: Loss of control in flight](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240) - Highest injury: Minor injuries - Injuries: 1 minor - Status: Completed - Report: Approved by Office Director - Investigation class: Class 3 - NTSB office: Central Region - Parties: FAA Denver FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 105408 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN22LA297 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/105408/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=105408 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN22LA297 ## Probable cause The pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control during the go-around, which resulted in impact with terrain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s impairment from the effects of alcohol consumption. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Impairment/incapacitation: alcohol](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02012015): Personnel issues › Physical · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Cub Crafters CC18-180, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02012015/cases.md?model=2470003), [All aircraft, 87 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02012015/cases.md) - [Info processing/decision: decision making/judgment](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041520): Personnel issues › Action/decision · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Cub Crafters CC18-180, 3 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041520/cases.md?model=2470003), [All aircraft, 3,098 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041520/cases.md) - [Use of equip/info: aircraft control](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040): Personnel issues › Task performance · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Cub Crafters CC18-180, 8 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040/cases.md?model=2470003), [All aircraft, 9,295 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040/cases.md) - [Performance/control parameters: yaw control](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062024): Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintained (probable cause); cases with it: [Cub Crafters CC18-180, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062024/cases.md?model=2470003), [All aircraft, 149 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062024/cases.md) - [Performance/control parameters: directional control](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062020): Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintained (probable cause); cases with it: [Cub Crafters CC18-180, 7 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062020/cases.md?model=2470003), [All aircraft, 3,958 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062020/cases.md) - [Health/Fitness: use of alcohol](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02013025): Personnel issues › Physical · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Cub Crafters CC18-180, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02013025/cases.md?model=2470003), [All aircraft, 4 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02013025/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Prior to flight: Medical event](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/850); cases with it: [Cub Crafters CC18-180, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/850/sequence.md?model=2470003), [All aircraft, 63 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/850/sequence.md) - [Approach-VFR go-around: Simulated/training event](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/600); cases with it: [Cub Crafters CC18-180, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/600/sequence.md?model=2470003), [All aircraft, 173 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/600/sequence.md) - [Approach-VFR go-around: Loss of control in flight](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240) (defining event); cases with it: [Cub Crafters CC18-180, 3 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240/sequence.md?model=2470003), [All aircraft, 5,002 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240/sequence.md) - [Approach-VFR go-around: Attempted remediation/recovery](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/060); cases with it: [Cub Crafters CC18-180, 7 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/060/sequence.md?model=2470003), [All aircraft, 1,422 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/060/sequence.md) - [Approach-VFR go-around: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) ](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470); cases with it: [Cub Crafters CC18-180, 5 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md?model=2470003), [All aircraft, 10,189 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md) - [Landing-flare/touchdown: Nose over/nose down](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/096); cases with it: [Cub Crafters CC18-180, 6 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/096/sequence.md?model=2470003), [All aircraft, 2,287 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/096/sequence.md) - [Post-impact: Evacuation](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/460); cases with it: [Cub Crafters CC18-180, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/460/sequence.md?model=2470003), [All aircraft, 103 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/460/sequence.md) ## Analysis The glider tow pilot had completed one flight and was returning to the airport following the second tow of the day. The pilot reported that, during the approach, he encountered a meteorological effect and the airplane drifted to the left and the pilot decided to initiate a go-around. As the airplane was accelerating during the go-around, it started “turning/yawing” even though the pilot was trying to accelerate straight and level. The pilot surmised this was from the same meteorological effect that initially pushed the airplane left. The pilot noticed that the airplane seemed to yaw to the right, the airplane began descending, touched down, and came to rest inverted in a grass field, resulting in substantial damage to both wings and the empennage. The pilot admitted to first responders that he had consumed alcohol earlier that morning. The pilot was evaluated at a hospital, where he was diagnosed with alcohol intoxication based on a serum ethanol test result of 0.079 g/dL collected about one hour after the accident. It is likely that the pilot was experiencing impairing effects of ethanol at the time of the accident. It is unknown whether ethanol’s impairing effects were worsened by altitude effects (the field elevation of the airport was about 6,500 ft above mean sea level); however, it is likely that ethanol effects increased the pilot’s risk of making serious errors and diminished his ability to effectively maintain airplane control. Thus, pilot impairment from effects of alcohol consumption likely contributed to the accident. ## Factual narrative On July 1, 2022, about 1225 mountain daylight time, a Cub Crafters CC18-180 airplane, N469AK, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado. The pilot sustained minor injury. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 glider tow flight. The airplane was owned, operated, and maintained by Akima Logistics Services LLC, a federal government contractor. The airplane was part of a fleet used to tow gliders for the U.S. Air Force Academy cadet glider flight training program. Civilian pilots are employed to operate the airplanes. On the day of the accident, the pilot reported for duty to assume the afternoon shift around 1145 and received the daily safety brief from the lead tow pilot. The accident occurred following the pilot’s second glider tow of the day. The pilot classified the approach to runway 16R as normal and stated that he was preparing for a wheel landing. The pilot reported that he encountered “meteorological conditions I hadn’t seen/felt before,” and the airplane began to “drift quickly left” “more forcibly than normal turning tendencies.” The pilot decided to initiate a go-around. As the airplane accelerated during the go-around, it started “turning/yawing” even though the pilot was trying to accelerate straight and level. The pilot surmised this was from the same meteorological effect that initially pushed the airplane left, and he classified it as a “wind vane effect.” The pilot noticed that the airplane seemed to yaw to the right without the wing drop characteristics of an aerodynamic stall. The airplane began descending, touched down, and came to rest inverted in a grass field. The glider tow rope remained attached to the airplane. The pilot egressed from the airplane via the cockpit door without further incident. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the empennage. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or the engine that would have precluded normal operation. First responders provided medical treatment to the pilot at the accident site. The first responders reported that they smelled alcohol on the pilot’s breath in the ambulance. The pilot admitted to first responders that he had consumed alcohol earlier that morning. The pilot’s evaluation upon arrival at the local hospital included a clinical serum ethanol test that was collected at 1324 and showed a serum ethanol level of 0.079 g/dL. The physician’s note documented that first responders reported that the pilot smelled like alcohol and had been drinking 8 hours before the flight. The physician documented that the pilot admitted to drinking alcohol the night before the accident date but could not state the amount that he had consumed or when he had stopped drinking, although the pilot felt that it had been more than 8 hours before flying. The physician documented alcohol intoxication among the pilot’svisit diagnoses. The FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory performed toxicological testing of leftover specimens from the pilot’s postaccident hospital care that found ethanol at 0.057 g/dL in the pilot’s blood. The pilot’s employer subjected him to a non-Department of Transportation (DOT) breath alcohol test following the accident. According to records of this test, the test was performed at 1702, and was negative. The pilot’s employer also subjected him to a non-DOT urine drug test following the accident. According to records of this test, it was collected at 1707. A medical review officer verified the urine drug test results, reporting the test as negative for tested-for substances. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N469AK](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N469AK), registered now, S/N CC18-0088, built 2018 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: CUB CRAFTERS INC CC18-180 (NO SERIES) - Registry model: [Cub Crafters CC18-180](https://openairdocs.org/model/cub-crafters-cc18-180) (registry code 2470003) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming O-360-C1G](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-360-c1g) (registry code 42284, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: CC18-0088 - Year built: 2018 - Airframe hours: 1934.7 - Engines: Lycoming Engines O-360-C1G 180 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Glider tow, Part 91 - Operator: Akima Logistics Services LLC, doing business as Akima Logistics Services LLC - Registered owner: Akima Logistics Services LLC - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Last inspection: 100 hour, June 14, 2022, 59.2 hours before - Flight plan: Military VFR - Airport: AFF, Usaf Academy Afld, runway 16R, 4,500 × 40 ft, asphalt - Equipment: Electronic multifunction display, Stall warning system, ADS-B, Data recorder, Electronic flight bag or handheld device ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 50; injuries: minor; flight instructor, airline transport, commercial, private; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, without waivers/limitations; last flight review June 19, 2022; seat: front; restraint: 4-point; toxicology performed; flight hours: 5,496 total, 70 in this make and model, 4,540 as pilot in command, 288 in the last 90 days, 88 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: variable at 3 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 25,000 ft broken - Temperature: 77 °F, dew point 48 °F - Altimeter: 30.25 inHg - Observed at: KAFF, 1 nm away - METAR: KAFF 011827Z VRB03KT 10SM FEW050 SCT080 BKN250 25/09 A3025 RMK AO2A SLP153 /ACFT/MSHP/ $ ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20220701011569A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20220701011569A), Jul 1, 2022: Cub Crafters Inc CC18-180, Colorado Spring, CO, Substantial damage. On July 01, 2022, [privacy data omitted] a cubcrafter model top Cub, impacted runway 16R. Aircraft LH and RH wing were damaged and came to rest inverted on the… ## Docket (12 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 29, 2023, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=105408. 19.2 MB in all. - Pilot/operator aircraft accident report, NTSB form 6120.1 (item 1, PDF, 9 pages, 3.1 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=15444885&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=NTSB%20Form%206120_1%20Redacted-Rel.pdf - Accident photographs (item 2, PDF, 6 pages, 6.8 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=15444348&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Accident%20Photographs-Rel.pdf - N469AK ADS-B google earth data (.kmz file) (item 3, KMZ, 29 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=15479073&FileExtension=kmz&FileName=20220701_A5BB14_488252932-Rel.kmz - N469AK ADS-B microsoft excel data (.xlsx file) (item 4, XLSX, 981 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=15479399&FileExtension=xlsx&FileName=20220701_A5BB14_488252932_ADSB-Rel.xlsx - Various statements (item 5, PDF, 8 pages, 480 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=15444722&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Various%20Statements%20Redacted-Rel.pdf - Pilot - training records (item 6, PDF, 1 page, 126 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=15443970&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Pilot%20-%20Training%20Records%20Redacted-Rel.pdf - N469AK recent maintenance records (item 7, PDF, 4 pages, 1.9 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=15444572&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=N469AK%20Recent%20Maintenance%20Records%20Redacted-Rel.pdf - Cub crafters CC18-180 POH AFM excerpt (item 8, PDF, 2 pages, 373 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=15479409&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Cub%20Crafters%20CC18-180%20POH%20AFM%20Excerpt-Rel.pdf - NTSB medical factual report (item 9, PDF, 6 pages, 167 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=15444185&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=CEN22LA297_MedicalFactualReport-Rel.pdf - Crew rest information (item 10, PDF, 4 pages, 472 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=15479643&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Crew%20Rest%20Information%20Redacted-Rel.pdf - U.S. Air force meteorological data package (item 11, PDF, 28 pages, 4.7 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=15444979&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=USAF%20Meteorological%20Data%20Redacted-Rel.pdf - Release of aircraft wreckage, NTSB form 6120.15 (item 12, PDF, 2 pages, 124 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=15443980&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=NTSB%20Form%206120_15%20Redacted-Rel.pdf From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.