Flight Design GMBH CTLSi accident near White Bear Lake, Minnesota, October 23, 2014
On October 23, 2014 at about 7:30 pm local time, a 2014 Flight Design GMBH CTLSi, registered N549CT, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near White Bear Lake, Minnesota (Benson airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's exceedance of the airplane's critical angle of attack during the landing, which resulted in an inadvertent aerodynamic stall, a hard landing, and a nose over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 23, 2014 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- White Bear Lake, Minnesota · Benson · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Flight Design GMBH CTLSi, built 2014
- Registration
- N549CT · registry record · serial F-13-03-09
- 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 he was conducting touch-and-go landings. During his second approach, he reported that the airplane flew over the runway at 60 knots, he stalled the airplane too high, and the airplane impacted the runway "very hard" and bounced high. He reported that instead of executing a go-around, he tried to regain control of the airplane and after several bounces, the nose landing gear collapsed, and the airplane nosed over. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and firewall. The pilot verified that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. As a safety recommendation, the pilot reported that he could have executed a go-around. The Federal Aviation Administration has published the Airplane Flying Handbook FAA-H-8083-3A (2004). This handbook discusses the roundout portion when landing and states in part: Sometimes when the airplane appears to temporarily stop moving downward, the roundout has been made too rapidly and the airplane is flying level, too high above the runway. Continuing the roundout would further reduce the airspeed, resulting in an increase in angle of attack to the critical angle. This would result in the airplane stalling and dropping hard onto the runway. To prevent this, the pitch attitude should be held constant until the airplane decelerates enough to again start descending. Then the roundout can be continued to establish the proper landing attitude. This procedure should only be used when there is adequate airspeed. It may be necessary to add a slight amount of power to keep the airspeed from decreasing excessively and to avoid losing lift too rapidly. It is recommended that a go-around be executed any time it appears the nose must be lowered significantly or that the landing is in any other way uncertain.
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
- Aerodynamic stall/spin during landing defining event
- Loss of control in flight during landing
- Hard landing during landing
- Attempted remediation/recovery during landing
- Landing gear collapse during landing
- Nose over/nose down during landing
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 › Angle of attack › Capability exceeded
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 150 hours in all; 18 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 83 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 19, 2015
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 2015
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912ULSi (piston); 33 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 6MN9 White Bear Lake MN at 7:20 pm
- Destination: 6MN9 White Bear Lake MN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30, 2,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 6:45 pm from KANE, 9 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on June 1, 2016. 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 |
| 2 | Accident Photos (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.