Amateur-built CCK-1865 accident near Lewiston, Montana, November 14, 2024
On November 14, 2024 at about 7:10 pm local time, a 2012 amateur-built CCK-1865, registered N247CC, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Lewiston, Montana (Durfee Hills 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 failure to maintain directional control in a gusting tailwind, which resulted in an impact with a tree.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 14, 2024 · about 7:10 pm local time · cases in 2024
- Place
- Lewiston, Montana · Durfee Hills · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built CCK-1865, built 2012
- Registration
- N247CC · registry record · serial CCK1865-0022
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the tailwheel equipped airplane reported that during a downhill takeoff roll from a grass strip with a gusting right quartering tailwind, the airplane started to veer to the right. The pilot applied left rudder control, and the airplane started to veer to the left. As the airplane became airborne, the airplane drifted left of the airstrip and struck a tree. Subsequently, the airplane landed hard on terrain. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. At the time of the accident, the pilot was taking off to the southeast with wind from 280° at 13 knots, gusting to 18 knots.
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 with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during takeoff
- Other weather encounter during takeoff
- Loss of control on ground during takeoff defining event
- Attempted remediation/recovery during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Effect on operation
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Tailwind › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 297.3 hours in all; 159.7 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 7.7 in the last 30 days; 240.1 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 22, 2024
- Medical certificate: BasicMed (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 230.4 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, December 9, 2023; 49 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,865 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Cub Crafters CC340 (piston); 230 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 15, 1,200 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 13 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.81 inHg
- Observation at 9:30 am from 19MT, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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 May 9, 2025. 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, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Accident Photo | PDF, 2 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
- N247CC on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Cub Crafters CC340 · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Montana 1,121 since 1982 · 166 in the last ten years
- Montana 6,044 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR25LA043.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.