Cubcrafters INC CC11-160 accident near Arlington, Arizona, March 11, 2021
On March 11, 2021 at about 9:00 pm local time, a 2011 Cubcrafters INC CC11-160, registered N38LW, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Arlington, Arizona. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain obstacle clearance during takeoff, which resulted in a collision with a cactus and impact with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 11, 2021 · about 9:00 pm local time · cases in 2021
- Place
- Arlington, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cubcrafters INC CC11-160, built 2011 · all CC11-160s on the register
- Registration
- N38LW · registry record · serial CC11-00185
- 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 takeoff from an off-airport location, the airplane collided with a Saguaro cactus. The airplane spun to the left and impacted the ground, before coming to rest in a ravine. The left-wing spar was substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions 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 during takeoff/land during takeoff defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tree(s) › Effect on operation
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: sport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,532 hours in all; 790.1 in this make and model; 5.6 in the last 90 days; 4.1 in the last 30 days; 2,532 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 13, 2021
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: frt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 499.8 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 15, 2020
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cubcrafters CC340 (piston); 5,406 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: E63 Gila Bend AZ
- Destination: PO8 Coolidge AZ
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 7:58 pm from KLUF, 28 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 1 picture from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on September 1, 2021. 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 · our copy | 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
- N38LW 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: Cubcrafters CC340 192 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Gila Bend Municipal · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Arizona 2,985 since 1982 · 467 in the last ten years
- Arizona 8,434 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR21LA129.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.