Amateur-built Hatz CB-1 accident near Nampa, Idaho, June 16, 2004
On June 16, 2004 at about 6:00 pm local time, a amateur-built Hatz CB-1, registered NX26WF, was substantially damaged in an accident near Nampa, Idaho. It was a personal 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control of the tail wheel aircraft during an aborted landing. Factors include a slight tailwind, and a mound (berm) of earth in the area where the aircraft departed the side of the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 16, 2004 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Nampa, Idaho · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built Hatz CB-1
- Registration
- NX26WF · no longer on the register · serial CB-1-222
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot came to the airport to regain takeoff and landing proficiency in the subject aircraft since he had not flown it for a "considerable period of time." After taking off from runway 29, he continued around the VFR pattern, and established the aircraft on a final approach for a three-point landing on the same runway. As he crossed the runway threshold at about 65 mph, he added a little power and started moving the control stick aft. The aircraft's nose then moved upwards, partially blocking the pilot's view of the runway, so he looked along the left side of the cowling in an attempt to keep the runway in sight. Although he expected the aircraft to slow rather quickly, it did not do so, and continued to float at a height of about five feet above the ground. The aircraft then suddenly dropped hard onto the runway and bounced back into the air. During this sequence, the pilot "lost visual orientation with the direction the plane was headed," so he added full power in an attempt to execute a go-around, but the aircraft dropped onto the runway a second time. According to the pilot, he then moved the stick to the "full back" position, but the aircraft did not lift off again, and instead exited the side of the runway where its left main gear impacted a mound of earth. At that point, the left main gear separated from the aircraft, which continued on for about another thirty yards before the right main gear collapsed, which resulted in significant damage to the wings and fuselage. After the accident, the pilot noticed that a slight tailwind was blowing. There was no evidence of any anomaly in the flight control or breaking system of the aircraft.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 155 hours in all; 40 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-290-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: S67 Nampa ID
- Destination: S67
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.