Flight Design CTLS accident near Elyria, Ohio, November 4, 2018
On November 4, 2018 at about 5:30 pm local time, a 2011 Flight Design CTLS, registered N21ZA, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Elyria, Ohio (Lorain County Rgnl 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 adequate airspeed during landing in variable gusting crosswind conditions, which resulted in a hard landing and runway excursion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 4, 2018 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Elyria, Ohio · Lorain County Rgnl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Flight Design CTLS Undesignat, built 2011
- Registration
- N21ZA · registry record · serial F-10-09-04
- 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, during landing, the airplane encountered a gusting crosswind from the right. The airplane was configured with 0° flaps, and the airspeed was about 55 knots, and the airplane was about 5 ft above ground level. The airplane's airspeed was too slow for the gusting right crosswind conditions, and the airplane landed hard on the runway. The right main landing gear wheel separated from the airplane during the landing, and the airplane exited the runway to the right. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right main landing gear attachment points and the cabin's monocoque structure. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The METAR at the airport reported that, about the time of the accident, the wind was from 140° at 11 knots, gusting to 19 knots.
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
- Other weather encounter during landing
- Hard landing during landing defining event
- Part(s) separation from AC during landing
- Runway excursion during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Variable wind › Effect on operation
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Effect on operation
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: sport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 145 hours in all; 81 in this make and model; 1.7 in the last 90 days; 142 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 4, 2018
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,396.3 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 5, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 1,320 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912 ULS (piston); 2,486 hours total
- Operator: Ras Aviation Llc
The flight
- Departed from: LPR Elyria OH at 4:55 pm
- Destination: LPR Elyria OH
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 07, 5,002 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 11 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 30.22 inHg
- Observation at 6:32 pm from KLPR
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on July 11, 2019. 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, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photographs | PDF, 2 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 N21ZA 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.