Amateur-built RV-10 accident near Dubois, Wyoming, November 5, 2016
On November 5, 2016 at about 1:56 pm local time, a 2016 amateur-built RV-10, registered N924WY, was destroyed in an accident during takeoff near Dubois, Wyoming (Dubois Municipal Airport). It was a flight test under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed after becoming distracted by the opening of the gull-wing cabin door during takeoff, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and experiencing an aerodynamic stall at a low altitude. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to ensure that the right gull-wing cabin door was properly latched before takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 5, 2016 · about 1:56 pm local time
- Place
- Dubois, Wyoming · Dubois Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built RV-10, built 2016
- Registration
- N924WY · no longer on the register · serial 40146
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight test · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot was departing on a local flight in the experimental airplane that he had built when the right gull-wing cabin door rotated open upon liftoff. A witness saw the pilot reaching for the fully open door as the airplane continued to overfly the runway at a low altitude. The airplane subsequently entered an aerodynamic stall at a low altitude and descended into terrain about 1,675 ft past the end of the runway and 183 ft left of the extended runway centerline. A postimpact fire destroyed the airframe. The right gull-wing cabin door was found in a ravine about 600 ft from the main wreckage. Although the door had separated from the fuselage while the airplane was in flight, there was no evidence that the door had struck any portion of the airplane. The door latch handle and associated latch pins were found in a partially secured position. A functional test of the door latch mechanism did not reveal any anomalies. Testing of the door latch indicator system was not possible due to extensive postimpact fire damage to the fuselage and instrument panel. Based on the witness description and the physical evidence, it is likely that the pilot failed to ensure that the right gull-wing cabin door was properly latched before takeoff. The pilot likely became distracted by the open door and, as a result, did not maintain adequate airspeed after takeoff, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and experiencing an aerodynamic stall at a low altitude.
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
- Preflight or dispatch event during prior to flight
- Part(s) separation from AC during takeoff defining event
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during takeoff
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
- Fire/smoke (post-impact) during post (impact)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Task monitoring/vigilance › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Angle of attack › Not attained/maintained
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Preflight inspection › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Forgotten action/omission › Pilot
- factor Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Doors › Passenger/crew doors › Incorrect use/operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,482 hours in all; 30.6 in the last 90 days; 1.2 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: March 17, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 12 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, April 23, 2016; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,700 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Aero Sport Power IO-540-D4A5 (piston); 12 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: DUB Dubois WY at 1:56 pm
- Destination: DUB Dubois WY
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 28, 6,700 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.29 inHg
- Observation at 1:55 pm from DUB, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
14 documents, released by the NTSB on June 26, 2018. 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 | Witness Statements | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 2 | FAA Pilot Registry Data (Bruce Stamper, Jr.) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Reported Flight Times on FAA Medical Applications (Bruce Stamper, Jr.) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Insurance Application Flight Times (Bruce Stamper, Jr.) | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Pilot Logbook (Excerpts) | PDF, 21 pages | View Download |
| 6 | FAA Aircraft Registry Data (N924WY) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Airplane Maintenance Logbooks (Excerpts) | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 8 | Pilot's Internet Bulletin Board Posts About Airplane | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 9 | Fuel Receipt | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 10 | Weather Reports | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 11 | Toxicological Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 12 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 13 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 14 | Photos | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.