N218AW – FLIGHT DESIGN CTSW – 2009-07-13 NTSB Accident Report

On July 13, 2009, a Flight Design CTSW (N218AW) was involved in an incident near North Vernon, IN. All 1 person aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The pilot's improper landing flare which resulted in a stall and nose over during touchdown.

The pilot reported that during the landing flare the airplane pulled to the left. He added power and moved the control stick to the right, but without success, and inadvertently stalled the airplane. The airplane landed left wing low and on its nose after falling about three feet. The light sport airplane was not equipped with a stall warning horn. The airplane’s flight training supplement states the following about stalls: “The stall is noted through light buffeting. At 2 kts. (3 mph) above the stall speed, the rudder becomes “soft”. When flying close to stall speed, only the rudder and elevator are fully controllable. The ailerons have less effectiveness in very slow flight.”

This incident is documented in NTSB report CEN09CA435. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N218AW.