- Date
- August 12, 2011, 07:30 local (13:30 UTC)
- Place
- Dubois, WY
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N56WYRichmond Jim R CCK-1865
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Miscellaneous/other
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 3, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20110812017889A
- Case key
- 81569
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from a wire during cruise flight.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
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.
Analysis
The pilot reported that, during the daytime in visual meteorological conditions, he was in cruise flight at an altitude of about 300 feet above ground level when he heard a loud bang followed by a shudder in the airplane. The pilot said he gained altitude and noticed damage to a radio antenna and noted that the controls felt "mushy," but the airplane remained flyable. The pilot then diverted to the nearest airport, landed, and observed structural damage to the left wing and rudder. Postaccident examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed evidence of wire striations on the left wing and rudder. Damage to the left wing, which included multiple separated vortex generators and paint scuffing on the top area of the outboard left wing, was consistent with an in-flight collision with a radio antenna wire. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that during a daytime flight within visual meteorological conditions, he was in cruise flight at an altitude of about 300 feet above ground level when he heard a loud bang followed by a shudder in the airplane. The pilot said he gained altitude and noticed damage to a radio antenna and noted the controls felt "mushy," but the airplane remained flyable. The pilot then diverted to the nearest airport and landed uneventfully, where he observed structural damage to the left wing and rudder. Post accident examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed evidence of wire striations on the left wing and rudder. Damage to the left wing, which included multiple separated vortex generators and paint scuffing on the top area of the outboard left wing, was found consistent with an in-flight collision with a wire. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N56WY
- Reported as
- Richmond Jim R CCK-1865
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- CCK-1865-0007
- Airframe hours
- 375
- Engine
- CubCrafters CC340, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Neil Neumeyer
- Registered owner
- Solstice Properties LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 27, 2011
- Departed
- Dillon, MT
- Destination
- U25 · Dubois, WY
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.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 16
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 96 total · 96 in this make and model · 84 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 50 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.09 inHg
- Observed at
- RXE, 26 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 23, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.4 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.