Flight Design Gmbh accident near Leesburg, Virginia, May 30, 2006
On May 30, 2006 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Flight Design Gmbh, registered N460CT, was substantially damaged in an accident near Leesburg, Virginia. It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's improper remedial action to regain directional control after takeoff. A factor was the pilot's failure to maintain directional control after takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 30, 2006 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Leesburg, Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Flight Design Gmbh
- Registration
- N460CT · registry record · serial 05-07-06
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that just after takeoff, the airplane drifted to the right. The pilot turned to the left using both the control stick and the rudder, and the left wing "dipped." The pilot then moved the control stick and rudder to the right; however, the left wing tip struck the ground, and the airplane came to rest at an approximately 30-degree angle toward the runway. The pilot also noted that he took off from runway 17, consistent with landing and departing traffic, but that the winds were from 340 degrees true at 5 knots. The pilot did not report any mechanical anomalies.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,235 hours in all; 63 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912ULS (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: JYO Leesburg VA
- Destination: LNS Lancaster PA
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
Other NTSB records under N460CT 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.