Amateur-built CH601 accident near Rawlins, Wyoming, March 15, 2024
On March 15, 2024 at about 7:20 pm local time, a 2006 amateur-built CH601, registered N43373, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Rawlins, Wyoming (Rawlins Municipal/Harvey Field). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot’s failure to see and avoid powerlines during an unstabilized approach, which resulted the airplane landing short of the runway and coming to rest inverted.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 15, 2024 · about 7:20 pm local time
- Place
- Rawlins, Wyoming · Rawlins Municipal/Harvey Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built CH601 HDS, built 2006
- Registration
- N43373 · registry record · serial 6-3803
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot stated that the purpose of the flight was for him to perform touch-and-go takeoffs and landings flying solo. After a normal takeoff, he configured the airplane on the final approach leg of the traffic pattern with the engine operating at 1,700 rpm and a descent rate of approximately 500 ft/min descent while maintaining an airspeed of about 75 kt airspeed. He noticed the precision approach position indicator (PAPI) lights showed 3 white and 1 red (indicating he was slightly high on the approach path), and in response, maneuvered the airplane in a more nose-up attitude. As he proceeded on the final approach path, the fuselage collided with powerlines that were oriented perpendicular to the runway and about 300 ft from the threshold. The nose dropped and the pilot attempted to flare. The main landing gear touched down short of the runway threshold and then the nose gear settled into soft mud. The airplane nosed-over, coming to rest inverted. During the accident sequence, the airplane sustained substantial damage to the vertical stabilizer and rudder. The pilot reported that there were no pre impact mechanical malfunctions of failures 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
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during approach (VFR pattern final)
- Nose over/nose down during landing
- Low altitude operation/event during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent/approach/glide path › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Awareness of condition
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 32 hours in all; 1 in this make and model; 1 in the last 90 days; 0 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 1, 2024
- Maximum gross weight: 1,200 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235-C1 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 04, 7,008 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.90 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on October 31, 2024. 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, 8 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photograph of Accident Site (Provided by the Federal Aviation Administration) | 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.
Other NTSB records under N43373 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.