Cubcrafters INC CC11-160 accident near Challis, Idaho, November 4, 2021
On November 4, 2021 at about 8:20 pm local time, a 2012 Cubcrafters INC CC11-160, registered N727SS, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (aborted after touchdown) near Challis, Idaho (Castle Creek Hideout airport). 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 loss of directional control after the airplane encountered a gust of wind during the landing roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 4, 2021 · about 8:20 pm local time · cases in 2021
- Place
- Challis, Idaho · Castle Creek Hideout · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cubcrafters INC CC11-160, built 2012 · all CC11-160s on the register
- Registration
- N727SS · no longer on the register · serial CC11-00200
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot in the tail wheel equipped airplane reported that, he overflew the runway to check the windsock. Having established the wind was out of the southwest, he entered the traffic pattern, and confirmed the wind condition again during the downwind leg. The landing approach and touchdown were uneventful, until the airplane encountered a gust of wind that caused a change in heading. The airplane flew toward a fence, and the pilot applied engine power to correct the drift, but the airplane struck the fence and nosed over. The wings and vertical stabilizer were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident 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
- Other weather encounter during landing (landing roll)
- Loss of control on ground during landing (aborted after touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Effect on equipment
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 13,000 hours in all; 893 in this make and model; 80 in the last 90 days; 68 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: March 17, 2021
- Medical certificate: BasicMed
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 893 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 2021; 79.9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,865 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Eci/Titan CC340 (piston); 80 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LLJ Challis ID at 8:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 7, 1,800 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 8,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.90 inHg
- Observation at 1:55 pm from KLLJ, 20 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KLLJ 041955Z AUTO 34003KT 10SM OVC080 10/03 A2990 RMK AO2 SLP111 T01000028=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 3 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photo 1 – Airplane at accident site
Photo 2 – Airplane at accident site
Photo 3 – Airplane at accident siteThe 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 February 4, 2022. 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 | Photos | PDF, 3 pages · 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
- N727SS: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Cubcrafters Inc CC11 319 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Engine: Eci/Titan CC340 10 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Challis Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Idaho 1,535 since 1982 · 287 in the last ten years
- Idaho 4,199 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR22LA029.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.