Flight Design CTSW accident near Delaware, Ohio, December 20, 2019
On December 20, 2019 at about 8:40 pm local time, a 2006 Flight Design CTSW, registered N91WW, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Delaware, Ohio (Delaware Municipal Airport). It was an instructional 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 student pilot’s failure to maintain yaw control during takeoff, which resulted in an aborted takeoff and subsequent landing on grassy terrain, during which the airplane bounced and then nosed over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 20, 2019 · about 8:40 pm local time
- Place
- Delaware, Ohio · Delaware Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Flight Design CTSW, built 2006
- Registration
- N91WW · no longer on the register · serial 5-646-942
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The solo student pilot was flying in the traffic pattern and was intending to perform a touch-and-go landing. During the takeoff, the airplane "veered heavily to the left." The student attempted to correct the veer without success. The student then chose to land the airplane on grassy terrain. During the landing, the airplane bounced twice and nosed over, which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing and the rudder. The student reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane 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 in flight during takeoff defining event
- Attempted remediation/recovery during takeoff
- Abnormal runway contact during takeoff (rejected takeoff)
- Nose over/nose down during takeoff (rejected takeoff)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Yaw control › Not attained/maintained
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Soft surface › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 40 hours in all; 25 in this make and model; 27 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 802 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, November 1, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax ULS2 (piston); 802 hours total
- Operator: New Flyers Association
The flight
- Departed from: DLZ Delaware OH at 8:30 pm
- Destination: DLZ Delaware OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 28, 5,800 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.50 inHg
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 March 26, 2020. 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 Report Photographs | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N91WW 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.