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 October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 23, 2011 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Parker, Colorado · Everitt 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
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.