Cubcrafters CC11-160 accident near Parker, Colorado, April 23, 2011
On April 23, 2011 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Cubcrafters CC11-160, registered N143FJ, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Parker, Colorado (Everitt Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s excessive and unsafe maneuvering during gusty wind conditions, which resulted in an inadvertent stall-spin.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 23, 2011 · about 9:30 pm local time · cases in 2011
- Place
- Parker, Colorado · Everitt Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft
- Cubcrafters CC11-160
- Registration
- N143FJ · no longer on the register · serial CC11-00160
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
***This report was modified on June 10, 2013. Please see the docket for this accident to view the original report.*** A video of the accident showed the airplane took off and assumed an excessively steep angle of climb, before leveling off and appearing motionless; a witness stated the airplane was about 150 to 200 feet above the ground. The right wing then dropped and the airplane spun to the ground. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. High, gusty wind prevailed at the time of the accident.
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
What happened, in order
- Abrupt maneuver during takeoff
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during initial climb defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › High wind › Decision related to condition
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,000 hours in all; 3,000 in this make and model; 75 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: January 11, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, March 21, 2011
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cubcrafters CC340 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Flying Js, LLC
The flight
- Departed from: 1CO8 Parker CO at 9:30 pm
- Destination: 1CO8 Parker CO
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Wind: from 190° at 12 knots, gusting 26
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft; a few clouds at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 23°F (-5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
14 documents, released by the NTSB on October 7, 2011. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N143FJ: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Engine: Cubcrafters CC340 192 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Everitt Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Colorado 2,860 since 1982 · 383 in the last ten years
- Colorado 7,486 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN11FA304.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.