Czech Aircraft Works Spol Sro SPORTCRUISER accident near Wyoming, Minnesota, July 2, 2016
On July 2, 2016 at about 3:06 am local time, a 2007 Czech Aircraft Works Spol Sro SPORTCRUISER, registered N236SC, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Wyoming, Minnesota. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s inadequate flight planning and navigation for a flight at night, which resulted in his having to conduct a precautionary landing on an interstate highway due to low fuel and impacting the post of a wire road divider.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 2, 2016 · about 3:06 am local time · cases in 2016
- Place
- Wyoming, Minnesota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Czech Aircraft Works Spol Sro SPORTCRUISER, built 2007 · all SPORTCRUISERs on the register
- Registration
- N236SC · registry record · serial 07SC078
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The sport pilot was conducting a personal local flight at night. The pilot reported that he was unable to locate the destination airport because it was dark. The airplane was low on fuel, so he decided to land the airplane on an interstate highway. During the landing roll, the airplane's right wing hit a wire road divider post, which resulted in substantial damage to the airplane. The pilot stated that the airplane did not have any mechanical failures during the flight. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
- Landing gear collapse during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Flight planning/navigation › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Light condition › Dark › Effect on personnel
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wall/barricade › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: sport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 957 hours in all; 477 in this make and model
- Last flight review: March 14, 2014
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 477 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, May 29, 2016; 3 hours since
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912S (piston); 477 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CBG Cambridge MN at 1:00 am
- Destination: CBG Cambridge MN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 130° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 2:54 am from ANE, 14 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on August 8, 2016. 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.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NTSB Record of Conversation | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Condition Aircraft Inspection | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | FAA Photos of Airplane Wreckage | PDF, 4 pages | View Download |
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
- N236SC on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Czech Aircraft Works Spol Sro SPORTCRUISER 69 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Czech Aircraft Works Spol Sro 74 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Rotax 912S 335 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Cambridge Municipal · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Minnesota 1,544 since 1982 · 209 in the last ten years
- Minnesota 6,946 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN16LA242.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.