20241017016949A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Flight Design CTSW · Sanford, ME · October 17, 2024

Date: October 17, 2024 · 19:00 local
Place: Sanford, ME
Airport: Sanford Regional
Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N109CT
NTSB investigation: NTSBERA25LA021
Reported as: Flight Design Ctsw
Reported engine: ROTAX 912ULS series
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificates: Private pilot, student
Pilot’s flight hours: 137 total36 in this make and model9 in the last 90 days

N109CTRegistered now · Flight Design CTSWS/N 04-12-05 · Built 2005 Airframe modelFlight Design CTSW Engine modelRotax 912ULS series4 cycle

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

The pilot attempted a landing on runway 32. After touchdown, the aircraft veered to the left at which time the pilot applied right rudder. The aircraft veered sharply to the right exiting the runway. The left wing tip impacted the ground forcing the aircraft back to the right causing the right wing to impact the ground. Upon entering the grass area adjacent to the runway, the nose gear collapsed. The aircraft came to rest off the right side of runway 32. The impact of both wing tips caused substantial to the upper wing fuselage mounting points. The nose gear strut fractured in half. Further investigation of the nose gear steering showed no signs of failure, both left and right push-pull rods were intact and operated normally with rudder pedal deflections. Inspection of the nose tire revealed no evident side loading and there was no signature tire marks to the runway surface.

As the FAA filed it

THE PILOT ATTEMPTED A LANDING ON RUNWAY 32. AFTER TOUCHDOWN, THE AIRCRAFT VEERED TO THE LEFT AT WHICH TIME THE PILOT APPLIED RIGHT RUDDER. THE AIRCRAFT VEERED SHARPLY TO THE RIGHT EXITING THE RUNWAY. THE LEFT WING TIP IMPACTED THE GROUND FORCING THE AIRCRAFT BACK TO THE RIGHT CAUSING THE RIGHT WING TO IMPACT THE GROUND. UPON ENTERING THE GRASS AREA ADJACENT TO THE RUNWAY, THE NOSE GEAR COLLAPSED. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST OFF THE RIGHT SIDE OF RUNWAY 32. THE IMPACT OF BOTH WING TIPS CAUSED SUBSTANTIAL TO THE UPPER WING FUSELAGE MOUNTING POINTS. THE NOSE GEAR STRUT FRACTURED IN HALF. FURTHER INVESTIGATION OF THE NOSE GEAR STEERING SHOWED NO SIGNS OF FAILURE, BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT PUSH-PULL RODS WERE INTACT AND OPERATED NORMALLY WITH RUDDER PEDAL DEFLECTIONS. INSPECTION OF THE NOSE TIRE REVEALED NO EVIDENT SIDE LOADING AND THERE WAS NO SIGNATURE TIRE MARKS TO THE RUNWAY SURFACE.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB ERA25LA021Accident · No injuriesClass 4 · LimitedFinal reportSanford, METhe pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll, resulting in a runway excursion and collision with terrain.Oct 17, 2024 · Substantial damage

Other reports on N109CT · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

Accident 20060810026499ALevel Off Touchdown · Hillsdale, MI(-23) On aug 10th, 2006, N109CT, a flight design ctrs light sport aircraft, departed hillside, MI. Airport with one pilot. The pilot attempted landing on runway 10 with winds @ 140-4 to 6 knots. Pilot bounced the aircraft hard 3 times, at which time the nose…Aug 10, 2006 · Substantial damage