Amateur-built CCX-2300 accident near Spanish Fork, Utah, May 21, 2023
On May 21, 2023 at about 6:38 pm local time, a 2022 amateur-built CCX-2300, registered N668LD, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Spanish Fork, Utah (Spanish Fork Municipal 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 decision to attempt an unfamiliar takeoff technique, his failure to maintain pitch control during takeoff, and his subsequent decision to retract flaps at a low altitude, which resulted in a descent into a building.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 21, 2023 · about 6:38 pm local time
- Place
- Spanish Fork, Utah · Spanish Fork Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built CCX-2300 NXCub, built 2022
- Registration
- N668LD · registry record · serial CCX-2300-0055
- 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 while attempting a “jump” takeoff, which he had only practiced with an instructor two years prior, the airplane assumed a nose high attitude and turned sharply to the left. The pilot pushed the stick forward and used rudder and ailerons to straighten the airplane, but his attempt to decrease the angle of attack was unsuccessful. He then retracted the flaps to “lower the nose,” and the airplane descended and impacted the top of a hangar, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and left and right wings. 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
- Loss of control in flight during takeoff defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Residence/building › Contributed to outcome
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Pitch control › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Recent experience › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 917 hours in all; 36.3 in this make and model; 64.4 in the last 90 days; 15.8 in the last 30 days; 668.3 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: February 10, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (waiver time limited special)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 58.9 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, July 26, 2022; 51.1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-390-X263 ( (piston); 51 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KSPK Spanish Fork WA at 6:38 pm
- Destination: U14 Nephi UT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 6,500 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.11 inHg
- Observation at 12:35 pm from KSPK
Weather report (METAR): METAR KSPK 211835Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 24/08 A3011 RMK AO2
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on October 20, 2023. 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, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.