No fatalities

3 Sep 2014: FLIGHT DESIGN GMBH CTLS LSA NO SERIES — Grass Valley, CA

Grass Valley, CA, United States

On 3 Sep 2014, a FLIGHT DESIGN GMBH CTLS LSA NO SERIES was involved in an aviation accident near Grass Valley, CA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's inadequate flare which resulted in a loss of aircraft control during landing. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A pilot reported a hard landing followed by porpoising, loss of nose wheel and rudder control, and a runway excursion resulting in the airplane rolling over and coming to rest inverted with substantial damage.

Incident Overview

The pilot of an airplane reported that during landing, the aircraft touched down hard and began to porpoise. The porpoising motion caused the airplane to strike the runway twice during the accident sequence. The pilot noted a loss of nose wheel and rudder control responsiveness, making it difficult to maintain directional control.

Sequence of Events

After the loss of control, the airplane departed the runway to the right. It then traveled down an embankment and subsequently rolled over, coming to rest in an inverted position. The aircraft sustained substantial damage to the right wing, vertical stabilizer, and fuselage.

Pilot Report

The pilot stated that there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane. No other factors were mentioned in the report.

Damage Assessment

The damage was described as substantial, specifically affecting the right wing, vertical stabilizer, and fuselage structure. The extent of damage is consistent with the forces experienced during the hard landing and subsequent rollover.

Contributing factors

PilotLanding flare — Not attained/maintained