Flight Design CTLS accident near Mount Vernon, Ohio, March 18, 2015
On March 18, 2015 at about 3:45 pm local time, a 2008 Flight Design CTLS, registered N566FD, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Mount Vernon, Ohio (Knox County 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 improper recovery from a bounced landing, which resulted in a loss of control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 18, 2015 · about 3:45 pm local time
- Place
- Mount Vernon, Ohio · Knox County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Flight Design CTLS, built 2008
- Registration
- N566FD · registry record · serial 08-03-06
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The solo student pilot was on a local flight to practice touch and go landings in a light sport airplane. During the second landing attempt, the airplane touched down hard on the runway and bounced. The airplane bounced again before the pilot initiated a go around. As the pilot added power, the airplane descended nose first into the runway. The postaccident inspection of the airplane revealed that the airplane sustained substantial damage to firewall and fuselage. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane prior to the accident that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane.
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
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Landing gear collapse during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Total experience › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Incorrect use/operation
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 32.2 hours in all; 28.1 in this make and model; 32.2 in the last 90 days; 20.2 in the last 30 days; 4.8 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,576 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 2, 2015
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912ULS (piston); 576 hours total
- Operator: New Flyers Association
The flight
- Departed from: KOSU Columbus OH at 3:00 pm
- Destination: 4I3 Mount Vernon OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 28, 5,498 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 14°F (-10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.30 inHg
- Observation at 3:36 pm from K4I3
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
6 documents, released by the NTSB on May 20, 2015. 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 | Written Description of Damage in Pictures (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photo 1 – Aft Side of Firewall Co-pilot Side (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Photo 2 – Aft Side of Firewall Pilot Side (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Photo 3 – Bottom Left Side of Fuselage (Courtesy of FAA) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Photo 4 – Engine Lower Attach Point (Courtesy of FAA) | 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.
Other NTSB records under N566FD 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.