Amateur-built CCK-1865 accident near Dubois, Wyoming, August 12, 2011
On August 12, 2011 at about 1:30 pm local time, a amateur-built CCK-1865, registered N56WY, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Dubois, Wyoming. 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 clearance from a wire during cruise flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 12, 2011 · about 1:30 pm local time
- Place
- Dubois, Wyoming · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built CCK-1865
- Registration
- N56WY · registry record · serial CCK-1865-0007
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, during the daytime in visual meteorological conditions, he was in cruise flight at an altitude of about 300 feet above ground level when he heard a loud bang followed by a shudder in the airplane. The pilot said he gained altitude and noticed damage to a radio antenna and noted that the controls felt "mushy," but the airplane remained flyable. The pilot then diverted to the nearest airport, landed, and observed structural damage to the left wing and rudder. Postaccident examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed evidence of wire striations on the left wing and rudder. Damage to the left wing, which included multiple separated vortex generators and paint scuffing on the top area of the outboard left wing, was consistent with an in-flight collision with a radio antenna wire. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during enroute (cruise)
- Miscellaneous/other during enroute (cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Task monitoring/vigilance › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Response/compensation
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 96 hours in all; 96 in this make and model; 84 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 375 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 27, 2011
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cubcrafters CC340 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Dillon MT at 12:00 pm
- Destination: U25 Dubois WY
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.09 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 pm from RXE, 26 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.