- Date
- July 5, 2025, 14:32 local (19:32 UTC)
- Place
- Joliet, IL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N646MAFlight Design Ctsw
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA - Greater Chicago FSDO
- FAA report
- 20250705010249A
- Case key
- 200476
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the crosswind landing.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that he conducted a straight in approach to runway 31. The pilot stated that he chose runway 31 because the intersecting grass runway (4/22) was closed due to blimp operations that were being conducted on the airfield. Shortly after touchdown, a sudden gust of wind relaunched the airplane into the air. The pilot stated that the wind gust was so strong that he could not keep the airplane aligned with the runway. The airplane settled onto the runway and exited the paved runway surface to the left. The nose landing gear dug into the soft ground and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing. The reported wind was from 210° at 13 kts, gusting to 18 kts. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operations.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N646MA
- Reported as
- Flight Design Ctsw
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 05-11-07
- Built
- 2005
- Airframe hours
- 662
- Engine
- Rotax 912ULS, 100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Special light-sport (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · October 4, 2024
- Departed
- 40C · Watervliet, MI
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- JOT · Joliet Rgnl, runway 13/31, 2,821 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS, Airframe parachute, Auto-pilot
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 80
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Medical
- BasicMed, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 28, 2025
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 3,262 total · 3,262 as pilot in command · 36 in the last 90 days · 17 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 13 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 93 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.99 inHg
- Observed at
- KJOT
- METAR
- METAR KJOT 051915Z AUTO 21013G18KT 180V260 10SM SCT060 SCT090 34/19 A2999 RMK AO2 T03360189=
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 18, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.3 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.