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).
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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 17, 2024 · about 11:00 pm local time · cases in 2024
- Place
- Sanford, Maine · Sanford Seacoast Regional · cases near this 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 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 5 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photograph 1 – Main Wreckage
Photograph 2 – Buckled Nose Landing Gear
Photograph 3 – Upper Fuselage Damage
Photograph 4 – Wing Root Damage
Photograph 5 – Nosewheel Steering LinkageThe 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
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 · our copy | 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
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N109CT 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 ULS 912 · as the NTSB recorded it
- Sanford Seacoast Regional · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Maine 532 since 1982 · 69 in the last ten years
- Maine 1,425 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N109CT 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA25LA021.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.