Cub Crafters PA18-150 accident near Edgewater, Florida, March 1, 2024
On March 1, 2024 at about 5:43 pm local time, a 2003 Cub Crafters PA18-150, registered N143CC, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Edgewater, Florida (Massey Ranch Airpark airport). It was a banner-towing flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Maintenance personnel’s failure to detect the worn aileron cable during the most recent inspections, which resulted in the separation of the aileron control cable and a subsequent loss of airplane control during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 1, 2024 · about 5:43 pm local time
- Place
- Edgewater, Florida · Massey Ranch Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cub Crafters PA18-150, built 2003 · all PA18-150s on the register
- Registration
- N143CC · registry record · serial 9956CC
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Banner-towing flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot completed a banner towing flight and was landing when the accident occurred. When the airplane was about 20 to 30 ft above the runway, the pilot reported that he heard a loud snap and he quickly realized he lost aileron control. The pilot attempted to land using the rudder and the elevator; however, the airplane veered to the right of the runway and impacted a hangar, resulting in substantial damage to the wings and fuselage. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed that there was a break in the left aileron direct control cable in the vicinity of the lower left fuselage direct aileron pulley. The fractured cable had a thick coating of dirt, oil, and grease-like substance. The aileron direct cable also displayed significant corrosion in multiple locations. After cleaning the cable, the cable displayed significant wear on both ends of the break. Examination of the lower left fuselage direct aileron pulley revealed that the pulley would bind during rotation, and the bushing and bolt displayed corrosion and a buildup of debris. It is likely that during aileron operation, the pulley would not rotate and that the corroded left aileron direct cable would rub against the pulley, accelerating cable wear. This resulted in the cable shedding material and becoming weaker, until it was unable to sustain the stresses of normal operation and fractured from tensile overstress. It is likely that the overstress fracture occurred during the landing, which is consistent with the right turn that the pilot experienced. According to maintenance records, the airplane had three 100-hour inspections during the 6 months before the accident. The most recent inspection was about 67.7 hours before the accident. According to the inspection checklist, the aileron control cable and pulley should have been inspected. Had the cable and pulley been properly inspected they would have been found unairworthy due to their respective conditions. Based on this information, it is likely that maintenance personnel overlooked the corrosion and wear on the aileron control cable and the binding pulley during the most recent inspections.
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
- Flight control sys malf/fail during landing defining event
- Aircraft inspection event during prior to flight
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
- Loss of control in flight during landing
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Flight control system › Aileron control system › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Flight control system › Aileron control system › Inadequate inspection
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Scheduled/routine maintenance › Maintenance personnel
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 507 hours in all; 270 in this make and model; 77 in the last 90 days; 58 in the last 30 days; 468 as pilot in command; 1 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 6, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,034.6 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 2, 2024; 67.7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-C4P (piston); 5,435 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: X50 Edgewater FL at 4:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 4,360 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 15 knots, gusting 24
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,700 ft; scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.22 inHg
- Observation at 12:47 pm from EVB, 5 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KEVB 011747Z 13015G24KT 10SM SCT020 BKN047 25/20 A3022
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
10 documents, released by the NTSB on January 2, 2025. 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (Operator) | PDF, 12 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (Pilot) | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Pilot's Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Pilot's Diagram | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Mor - Mechanic | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Piper PA18-150 Inspection Report/checklist | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Airframe Maintenance Records Excerpts | PDF, 40 pages | View Download |
| 8 | Wreckage Examination Report | PDF, 8 pages | View Download |
| 9 | Investigation Photographs | PDF, 19 pages | View Download |
| 10 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ERA24LA128.