Flight Design GMBH CTSW accident near Chesapeake, Virginia, April 21, 2009
On April 21, 2009 at about 4:35 pm local time, a Flight Design GMBH CTSW, registered N476CT, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Chesapeake, Virginia (Hampton Roads Exec Airport). It was an instructional 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 student pilot's improper recovery from a bounced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 21, 2009 · about 4:35 pm local time
- Place
- Chesapeake, Virginia · Hampton Roads Exec 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 · all CTSWs on the register
- Registration
- N476CT · no longer on the register · serial 07-07-03
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot stated that he departed from runway 10 and remained in right closed traffic. He turned on final approach and felt that the airplane was a little high. He considered initiating a go-around, but elected to land further down the runway. As he flared the airplane, he felt an increase in wind. The airplane floated about 5 feet off the ground and the left wing came up as the airplane floated, then touched down on the runway. He considered another go-around, but decided against it because the airplane was too slow, and too far down the runway. The airplane began to porpoise "back up more sharply" touched down on the runway, and bounced into a nose-high attitude. The airplane collided with the runway in a nose-down attitude, collapsed the nose gear, and coming to rest in a nose-down attitude. Examination of the airplane by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed structural damage to the fuselage tunnel. The student pilot stated that he did not experience any mechanical problems with the airplane before the accident.
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
- Abnormal runway contact during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Landing gear collapse during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Student pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Incorrect use/operation
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 32 hours in all; 32 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 1 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 144 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 20, 2009; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912ULS (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Chesapeake Aviation Services
The flight
- Departed from: PVG Chesapeake VA at 4:30 pm
- Destination: PVG Chesapeake VA
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 10, 4,056 ft by 70 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:40 pm from SFQ, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
Other NTSB records under N476CT 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.