Cubcrafters INC CC11-160 accident near Los Alamos, California, May 2, 2010
On May 2, 2010 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Cubcrafters INC CC11-160, registered N72RZ, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Los Alamos, California (Private airport). It was a personal 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 inadequate compensation for the crosswind conditions resulting in the loss of directional control while landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 2, 2010 · about 7:00 pm local time · cases in 2010
- Place
- Los Alamos, California · Private · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cubcrafters INC CC11-160 · all CC11-160s on the register
- Registration
- N72RZ · registry record · serial CC11-00105
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot reported that he was landing the tail wheel-equipped airplane at a privately-owned grass airstrip with a "slight" crosswind. He reported that after touchdown, during the landing roll, he lost directional control of the airplane and it collided with an unoccupied parked vehicle adjacent to the runway. The collision resulted in substantial damage to the right wing. No mechanical deficiencies or anomalies with the airplane were reported.
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
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Ground collision during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- factor Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Contributed to outcome
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Ground vehicle › Contributed to outcome
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Response/compensation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,350 hours in all; 590 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: July 21, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 40 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, October 30, 2009; 40 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cub Crafters CC 340 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1ZA Santa Ynez CA at 6:30 pm
- Destination: PVT Los Alamos CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 2,300 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 5 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on June 6, 2010. 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, 10 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
- N72RZ on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Cubcrafters Inc CC11 319 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Engine: Cub Crafters CC 340 · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,080 since 1982 · 1,096 in the last ten years
- California 28,279 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR10CA222.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.