Cub Crafters CC18-180 accident near Raton, NM
On June 5, 2015, a Cub Crafters CC18-180 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Raton, NM. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- June 5, 2015
- Place
- Raton, NM
- Aircraft
- Cub Crafters CC18-180 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 36.716°N, 104.133°W
- NTSB ID
- 20150605X24005
Official records · CEN15FA255
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn June 5, 2015, about 0628 mountain daylight time, a Cub Crafters CC18-180 airplane, N162WR, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain near Raton, New Mexico. The commercial pilot and the gunner were fatally injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as a public aircraft. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local flight, which departed Raton Municipal Airport (RTN), Raton, New Mexico, about 0615. The purpose of the flight was to locate and terminate coyotes in a predetermined geographic area with a history of livestock damage. A typical mission profile consisted of locating coyotes with the aid of a ground-based spotter, after which the pilot would fly a low-altitude pass and the rear-seated gunner would shoot the coyote with a shotgun. According to the ground-based spotter, on the day of the accident, the pilot established radio contact with him after the airplane had passed over the mesa that bordered the western edge of the target area. The pilot transmitted that he saw a coyote behind the spotter's position and that they were going to perform a low-altitude pass for the gunner to kill the coyote. The spotter turned around and located the coyote using his binoculars. He reported that he heard 2 to 3 shotgun blasts as the airplane passed through his field of view on a northeast heading. He remained focused on the coyote as the airplane exited his field of view; shortly thereafter, he heard it impact the ground. He looked up from his binoculars and saw that the air
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed while maneuvering at a low altitude, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle of attack and experiencing an aerodynamic stall.
More accidents in NM
- Gates Learjet 25D, Sep 5, 1993
- Piper PA-32-300, Dec 26, 1982
- Mitsubishi MU-2B-30, Jun 25, 1992
- Cessna 421C, Feb 11, 1985
- Beech 58, Mar 26, 1982
Browse: New Mexico · Cub Crafters aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
