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GAA19CA049

2018-11-04 · ELYRIA, Ohio, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport LPR

Current FAA registration · N21ZA

Make / Model
FLIGHT DESIGN GMBH CTLS
Year of manufacture
2011 · 7 years old at event
Engine
ROTAX 912ULS SERIES (100 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20110817
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A1B969

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed during landing in variable gusting crosswind conditions, which resulted in a hard landing and runway excursion.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that during landing, the airplane encountered a gusting crosswind from the right. The airplane was configured with 0° flaps, and his airspeed was about 55 knots when the airplane was 5ft AGL. He reported that 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, and gusting to 19 knots. 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. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Airspeed-Not attained/maintained - C
  • C Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Variable wind-Effect on operation - C
  • C Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Effect on operation - C
  • C Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Crosswind-Effect on operation - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2018_GAA19CA049.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Search this event elsewhere

External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (runway excursion). All research papers