Flight Design GMBH CTLS accident near Conway, Arkansas, July 25, 2012
On July 25, 2012 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Flight Design GMBH CTLS, registered N930SA, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Conway, Arkansas (Dennis F. Cantrell Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing and overstress failure of the right main landing gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 25, 2012 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Conway, Arkansas · Dennis F. Cantrell Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Flight Design GMBH CTLS · all CTLSs on the register
- Registration
- N930SA · no longer on the register · serial 08-02-05
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that after completing an uneventful straight-in approach, the right main landing gear collapsed upon touchdown. The airplane subsequently swerved to the right, departing off the right side of the runway. A laboratory examination revealed a longitudinal crack along the leading edge of the right landing gear leg and a transverse fracture near the point where the leg intersected the fuselage. Observed fiber pullout and parallel transverse cracks in the paint adjacent to the fracture were consistent with a bending load, with the lower surface in tension and the upper surface in compression. No preexisting damage or manufacturing anomalies were noted with the right main landing gear that would have reduced its design strength. The lack of any observed material defects or preexisting damage suggests that the right main landing gear fractured when it experienced a bending load that exceeded its design requirements, likely during the accident sequence.
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
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Landing gear collapse during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Runway excursion during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Incorrect use/operation
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main landing gear › Capability exceeded
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main landing gear › Failure
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 2,800 hours in all; 6 in this make and model; 6 in the last 90 days; 3 in the last 30 days; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: January 6, 2012
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,149 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, May 2, 2012; 51 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912ULS (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Sparrow Flying Club
The flight
- Departed from: SRC Searcy AR at 2:00 pm
- Destination: CWS Conway AR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 4,875 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 10 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 2:55 pm from LRF, 17 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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.