Flight Design CTSW accident near Granbury, Texas, February 21, 2007
On February 21, 2007 at about 6:15 pm local time, a Flight Design CTSW, registered N134DG, was substantially damaged in an accident near Granbury, Texas (Pecan Plantation 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 misjudgment of altitude and distance while landing, which resulted in an undershoot of the runway. A contributing factor was the rising terrain on approach to the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 21, 2007 · about 6:15 pm local time
- Place
- Granbury, Texas · Pecan Plantation
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Flight Design CTSW
- Registration
- N134DG · registry record · serial 06-08-06
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot reported that the airplane touched down short of the runway landing threshold. He stated that after completing a local area flight, he returned to his home base airport for a full stop landing. The pilot wrote in the NTSB Form 6120.1 (Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report) that while on final approach to runway 36, he "allowed the aircraft to become too low" and the airplane impacted terrain approximately 30-feet short of the landing threshold. The pilot added that there is a "substantial upslope to the runway which causes a significant 'ramp effect'." The ramp effect aided in making the airplane became airborne again, and it touched down on the runway, skidding 300-feet before coming to rest. The pilot, who was the sole occupant of the light sport airplane, was not injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Inspector that responded to the accident noted that the terrain on approach to the landing runway had a 30 percent upslope. The weather conditions at the time of the accident were light and variable winds, clear skies, and unlimited visibility.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,380 hours in all; 7 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 1,342 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 13 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912ULS (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 0TX1 Granbury TX
- Destination: 0TX1 Granbury TX
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 3,500 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 5:00 pm from KGDJ, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.