Amateur-built CCK-1865 N56WY accident near Dubois, Wyoming

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from a wire during cruise flight.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that, during the daytime in visual meteorological conditions, he was in cruise flight at an altitude of about 300 feet above ground level when he heard a loud bang followed by a shudder in the airplane. The pilot said he gained altitude and noticed damage to a radio antenna and noted that the controls felt "mushy," but the airplane remained flyable. The pilot then diverted to the nearest airport, landed, and observed structural damage to the left wing and rudder. Postaccident examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed evidence of wire striations on the left wing and rudder. Damage to the left wing, which included multiple separated vortex generators and paint scuffing on the top area of the outboard left wing, was consistent with an in-flight collision with a radio antenna wire. The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR11CA399 for the full record.