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).
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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 October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 11, 2021 · about 9:00 pm local time
- 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR21LA129.