Rainbow Sky Reach Bushcat accident near Cairo, Nebraska, July 4, 2016
On July 4, 2016, a 2015 Rainbow Sky Reach Bushcat, registered N321WL, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Cairo, Nebraska. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's decision to fly into deteriorating weather conditions, leading to a precautionary off airport soft field landing which resulted in a nose gear collapse and the airplane to nose over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 4, 2016
- Place
- Cairo, Nebraska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Rainbow Sky Reach Bushcat, built 2015
- Registration
- N321WL · no longer on the register · serial CH172B
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he took off in meteorological conditions after being weathered in for two days. He further reported that while en route to the destination he encountered deteriorating weather conditions and opted to land at a nearby field to allow the weather to pass. The pilot reported that the terrain looked "manageable and smooth enough to land on", he landed using a soft field landing technique, but during the landing roll the nose wheel dug into the grassy terrain which resulted in a nose over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that there were no pre impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. A review of the recorded data from the automated weather observation station located about 14 miles south east of the accident, revealed that, within about 10 minutes of the crash, the wind was 080 degrees true at 5 knots, visibility 5 statute miles, and overcast at 800 feet. The pilot reported that the lowest ceiling he encountered was 300 feet AGL. As a safety recommendation the pilot reported that he should not have let peer pressure allow him to change his own personal weather minimums.
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
- Other weather encounter during enroute
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing
- Miscellaneous/other during landing
- Nose over/nose down during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › (general) › Decision related to condition
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Soft surface › Effect on equipment
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Weather planning › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Personality/attitude › Motivation/respond to pressure › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine
- Flight time: 582 hours in all; 395 in this make and model; 116 in the last 90 days; 56 in the last 30 days; 479 as pilot in command; 297 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 10, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: sport pilot, student
- Flight time: 95 hours in all; 21 in the last 90 days; 21 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 66 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 28, 2016
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912ULS (piston); 66 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AUH Aurora NE at 11:40 pm
- Destination: 0F4 Loup City NE
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 800 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from KGRI, 14 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on August 2, 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photograph | 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.
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.