Flight Design GMBH CTSW accident near Cuba, New York, July 23, 2024
On July 23, 2024 at about 10:00 pm local time, a 2007 Flight Design GMBH CTSW, registered N504CT, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Cuba, New York (Private Airstrip airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A separation of the left main landing gear wheel assembly during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 23, 2024 · about 10:00 pm local time · cases in 2024
- Place
- Cuba, New York · Private Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Flight Design GMBH CTSW NO SERIES, built 2007 · all CTSWs on the register
- Registration
- N504CT · registry record · serial 07-03-12
- 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 the airplane on a turf runway and stated that the landing approach was nominal. The pilot described that the “…airspeed, landing spot, and flare were perfect.” Upon touchdown, the right main landing gear’s wheel assembly separated from the landing gear strut. The strut subsequently dug into the ground and the airplane’s fuselage was substantially damaged. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector who examined the airplane after the accident reported that the landing gear strut had fractured about 5 inches inboard of from the wheel assembly.
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
- Part(s) separation from AC during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main gear strut/axle/truck › Failure other cases naming the landing gear
Pilot
- Certificate: sport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 793.5 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 16, 2024
- Maximum gross weight: 1,323 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912ULS SERIES (piston); 794 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 9G0 West Seneca NY at 9:30 am
- Flight plan: none
- Runway unkn, 1,400 ft by 50 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 6:55 pm from OLE, 4 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KOLE 232255Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 23/16 A3012 RMK AO2
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photograph 1 – Postaccident damage right side lower fuselage
Photograph 2 – Postaccident damaged main wheel attach fittingThe NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on December 2, 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for Record A�� FAA Email Correspondence | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Investigation Photographs | PDF, 3 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 4 | Drawings Landing Gear Ipc | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N504CT on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Flight Design Gmbh CTSW 181 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Engine: Rotax 912ULS SERIES 3,381 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Buffalo Airfield · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in New York 1,964 since 1982 · 249 in the last ten years
- New York 6,659 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA24LA325.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.