Flight Design GMBH CTSW accident near Hutchinson, Kansas, July 30, 2012
On July 30, 2012 at about 5:15 pm local time, a Flight Design GMBH CTSW, registered N460CT, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Hutchinson, Kansas (Skyview Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s loss of directional control during the landing roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 30, 2012 · about 5:15 pm local time
- Place
- Hutchinson, Kansas · Skyview Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Flight Design GMBH CTSW · all CTSWs on the register
- Registration
- N460CT · registry record · serial 05-07-06
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the landing roll on a grass airstrip, the airplane encountered a wind shift and began to skid to the left. The pilot turned the airplane in order to level the wings and stop the skid; however, the airplane departed the runway at a 30-degree angle, encountered soft ground, and nosed over. The aft spar in the vertical stabilizer and the rudder hinge were broken. During a postaccident examination of the airplane, no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures were found that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › (general) › Response/compensation
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: powered-lift; rotorcraft: powered-lift
- Flight time: 1,418 hours in all; 2 in this make and model; 15 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 1,418 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 2, 2011
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 218 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, July 16, 2011
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912S (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KEQA El Dorado KS at 3:30 pm
- Destination: PVT Hutchinson KS
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 09, 2,500 ft by 70 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 4:52 pm from KHUT, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N460CT the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.