Flight Design GMBH CTSW accident near Sanford, Maine, October 17, 2024
On October 17, 2024 at about 11:00 pm local time, a 2005 Flight Design GMBH CTSW, registered N109CT, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Sanford, Maine (Sanford Seacoast Regional 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing roll, resulting in a runway excursion and collision with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 17, 2024 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Sanford, Maine · Sanford Seacoast Regional · 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 2005 · all CTSWs on the register
- Registration
- N109CT · registry record · serial 04-12-05
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he was landing the airplane following a local flight, and the wind was reported as light and variable. Shortly after touchdown, the airplane veered to the left of the runway centerline and the pilot corrected with right rudder. The airplane then turned sharply to the right, the pilot lost directional control, and the airplane departed the runway to the right. The nose landing gear collapsed, the wings contacted the ground, and the airplane came to a stop, upright. Federal Aviation Administration inspectors examined the wreckage and reported substantial damage to the wing roots and upper fuselage. They also examined the nose landing gear, nose tire, and nose wheel steering system and found no evidence of a preexisting mechanical failure or malfunction.
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 on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 137 hours in all; 36 in this make and model; 9 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days; 86 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 3, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 732 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, April 18, 2024; 38 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax ULS 912 (piston); 732 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 32, 4,999 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.19 inHg
- Observation at 5:56 pm from KSFM
Weather report (METAR): METAR KSFM 172156Z AUTO 27003KT 10SM CLR 09/03 A3019 RMK AO2 SLP229 T00940028
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on January 21, 2025. 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, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for Record - FAA Examination of Nosewheel Steering and Rudder Linkage | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Investigation Photographs | PDF, 6 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 N109CT the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ERA25LA021.