Flight Design CTSW accident near Blairesville, Georgia, May 19, 2019
On May 19, 2019 at about 5:00 pm local time, a 2007 Flight Design CTSW, registered N153SW, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Blairesville, Georgia (Blairsville 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain airplane control during landing in gusting crosswind conditions, which resulted in a hard landing and landing gear collapse.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 19, 2019 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Blairesville, Georgia · Blairsville · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Flight Design CTSW No Series, built 2007
- Registration
- N153SW · registry record · serial 07-06-10
- 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, while on approach for landing on runway 26, the wind was reported to be from 240º at 8 knots. One second later, the wind shifted and was from 180º at 6 knots. The pilot flew the final approach with a left crosswind and crossed the threshold at 50 knots. As he leveled the airplane and was about to touch down at 45 knots, the airplane lifted about 7 ft, and the nose pitched up 20º. The pilot pushed the control stick forward and began to add power, but the airplane "violently slammed" onto the runway, and the left main landing gear collapsed. He added full right rudder and aileron to keep the airplane on the runway, but it veered left into tall grass. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the firewall and engine mount.
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 approach (VFR pattern final)
- Loss of control in flight during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Attempted remediation/recovery during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Landing gear collapse during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Loss of control on ground during landing (flare/touchdown)
- Runway excursion during landing (flare/touchdown)
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 › (general) › Not attained/maintained
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Gusts › Effect on operation
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912 ULS (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: White Falcon LLC
The flight
- Departed from: TTA Sanford NC
- Destination: M38 Hazel Green AL
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 26, 5,004 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 9 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.09 inHg
- Observation at 4:55 pm from KDZJ, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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 GAA19CA373.