CEN26LA082

NTSB accident investigation · Wag Aero Cuby · Wimberley, TX · December 26, 2025

Accident · No injuriesClass 3 · LimitedPreliminary report
Date
December 26, 2025, 16:30 local (22:30 UTC)
Place
Wimberley, TX
Injuries
1 uninjured
Damage
Substantial damage
Phase of flight
Enroute
Aircraft
N437WTWag Aero Cuby
Defining event
Enroute: Loss of engine power (total)
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Investigation ongoing
Investigation class
Class 3
NTSB office
Central Region
Parties
FAA
FAA report
20251226019069A
Case key
202265

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

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Preliminary report

What NTSB knew early in the investigation. It may change in the final report.

On December 26, 2025, about 1630 central standard time, a Wag Aero Cuby airplane, N437WT, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Wimberley, Texas. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot stated that while turning from the downwind to the base leg of the traffic pattern, the engine suffered an instantaneous, total loss of power. No indications or abnormalities were observed before the total loss of engine power. The pilot pitched the airplane for the best glide airspeed and set up for a forced landing. He verified that the fuel selectors were both in the “ON” position, the mixture lever was in the full rich position, the carburetor heat was “ON,” and the magneto positions were cycled. The pilot attempted to restart the engine, and engine power was restored for about 3 to 5 seconds before the engine lost total power again. The pilot stated that the airplane did not have enough altitude to reach the first intended landing point and elected a new landing area. He executed the forced landing in a clearing with small cedar trees. The airplane came to rest upright after impacting several trees, resulting in substantial damage to the left wing. Both fuel tanks remained intact with no observed fuel leakage, and there was about 1/3 capacity of fuel in each tank. Flight data logs were recovered from the airplane’s avionics, and the wreckage was retained for further examination.

Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.

Aircraft

Registration
N437WT
Reported as
Wag Aero Cuby
Category
Airplane, amateur-built
Serial number
103
Built
2016
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Personal · Part 91
Registered owner
Benkert Levi James
Airworthiness certificate
Special, Experimental (Special)
Departed
EDC · Austin, TX
Destination
4XS9 · Wimberley, TX
Airport
NONE

Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
190° at 11 knots
Visibility
10 statute miles
Temperature
81 °F, dew point 64 °F
Altimeter
29.94 inHg
Observed at
KAUS, 27 nm away
METAR
METAR KAUS 262253Z 19011KT 10SM FEW040 SCT300 27/18 A2994 RMK AO2 SLP129 T02720178=

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.