Amateur-built Super Cuby accident near Cantwell, Alaska, July 4, 2002
On July 4, 2002 at about 10:28 pm local time, a amateur-built Super Cuby, registered N43Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Cantwell, Alaska. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed which resulted in an inadvertent stall, and subsequent collision with terrain. A contributing factor was the pilot's impairment from the effects of prescription painkilling drugs.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 4, 2002 · about 10:28 pm local time
- Place
- Cantwell, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Super Cuby
- Registration
- N43Z · no longer on the register · serial 588
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private certificated pilot departed with one passenger on a cross-country flight from a private airstrip in a tundra tire-equipped experimental/homebuilt airplane. Family members reported that the purpose of the flight was to show the passenger some Alaskan scenery. When the airplane did not return, the flight was reported overdue. Search personnel located the wreckage near the summit of a mountain pass at 5,000 feet msl, four days later. The airplane struck an area of upsloping rock and snow-covered terrain, in a near vertical attitude, and came to rest within a few feet of the initial ground scar. A postaccident examination of the airplane did not reveal any mechanical malfunctions. A postmortem toxicological examination of the pilot disclosed high levels of tramadol, a prescription painkiller, and paroxetine, a prescription antidepressant. Additionally, the toxicology report was consistent with the use of at least one other prescription painkiller. The pilot had been under treatment for neck and back pain with multiple medications. The pilot's performance and judgment were likely to have been impaired by the effects of the tramadol, particularly in combination with a second prescription painkiller.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,050 hours in all
- Last flight review: August 17, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 4A1 Wasilla AK at 3:00 pm
- Destination: 4A1 Wasilla AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 6,000 ft; scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.78 inHg
- Observation at 5:40 pm from PAEC, 30 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.