Flight Design GMBH CTSW accident near Gregory, Michigan, May 23, 2023
On May 23, 2023 at about 1:46 pm local time, a 2006 Flight Design GMBH CTSW, registered N165CT, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Gregory, Michigan (Richmond Field 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 improper landing flare that resulted in a hard, bounced landing and subsequent overstress failure of the nose landing gear.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 23, 2023 · about 1:46 pm local time
- Place
- Gregory, Michigan · Richmond Field 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 2006 · all CTSWs on the register
- Registration
- N165CT · registry record · serial 06-03-09
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was landing on a grass runway with a slight right quartering tailwind. During the landing, the nose landing gear bounced after touchdown then separated from the airplane. The airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. The fuselage and empennage sustained substantial damage. Metallurgical examination of the nose landing gear rotation unit revealed the fracture surfaces were consistent with shear overstress. A review of the maintenance logbooks revealed that the nose landing gear had been replaced two previous times due to hard landing events. No anomalies were noted with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. It is likely that the landing was harder than the pilot perceived, which resulted in the shear overstress of the nose landing gear.
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
- Aircraft › Aircraft structures › (general) › (general) › Capability exceeded
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › (general) › (general) › Response/compensation
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 220 hours in all; 84 in this make and model
- Last flight review: May 5, 2023
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 600 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, April 8, 2023; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912ULS (piston); 600 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KONZ Grosse Lle Township MI at 1:00 pm
- Destination: 69G Gregory MI
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 2,471 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 10:15 am from KOZW, 12 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KOZW 231415Z AUTO 14004KT 10SM CLR 18/11 A3020 RMK AO2 T01800106
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
7 documents, released by the NTSB on May 9, 2024. 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 | Unadilla Township Police Report | PDF, 7 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120 1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 3 | NTSB Materials Laboratory Factual Report | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | FAA Inspector's Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Photo Array | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Powerplant Logbook | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Airframe Logbook | PDF, 5 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.