Flight Design GMBH CTSW accident near Bloomington, Indiana, April 19, 2014
On April 19, 2014 at about 5:30 pm local time, a 2005 Flight Design GMBH CTSW, registered N298AB, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Bloomington, Indiana (Monroe County 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 did not maintain control of the airplane while landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 19, 2014 · about 5:30 pm local time · cases in 2014
- Place
- Bloomington, Indiana · Monroe County Airport · cases near this 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, built 2005 · all CTSWs on the register
- Registration
- N298AB · registry record · serial 05-09-10
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated that the winds were gusting from 14 to 19 knots when he was cleared to land on runway 17. As the pilot reduced the airspeed, the airplane "lost lift and began to drop rapidly." The pilot added full power; however, the airplane landed hard, bounced, and porpoised. The nosewheel landing gear bent aft resulting in substantial damage to the firewall. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. Wind at the time of the accident was recorded as 090 degrees at 9 knots, gusting to 14 knots.
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
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 › (general) › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: balloon
- Flight time: 1,108 hours in all; 438 in this make and model; 10.6 in the last 90 days; 5.9 in the last 30 days; 1,027 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 22, 2013
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 438.4 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, April 1, 2014
- Maximum gross weight: 1,321 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax Gmbh ULS2 (piston); 438 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KBMG Bloomington IN at 4:30 pm
- Destination: KBMG Bloomington IN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 6,500 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 9 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.30 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from KBMG, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on April 28, 2014. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N298AB on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Flight Design Gmbh CTSW 181 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Engine: Rotax Gmbh ULS2 · as the NTSB recorded it
- Monroe County · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Indiana 1,367 since 1982 · 179 in the last ten years
- Indiana 5,700 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CEN14CA207.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.