NTSB Identification: CEN12LA476
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Wednesday, July 25, 2012 in Conway, AR
Aircraft: Flight Design GmbH CTLS, registration: N930SA
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On July 25, 2012, about 0930 central daylight time, a Flight Design GmbH model CTLS light-sport airplane, N930SA, was substantially damaged while landing at Dennis F Cantrell Field Airport (KCWS), Conway, Arkansas. The commercial pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane was registered to and operated by Sparrow Aviation Group, LLC, under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 without a flight plan. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the personal flight that originated from Searcy Municipal Airport (KSRC), Searcy, Arkansas, about 0900.

The pilot reported that after completing an uneventful straight-in approach to runway 26 (4,875 feet by 100 feet, asphalt) the right main landing gear collapsed upon touchdown. The airplane subsequently swerved to the right, departing off the right side of the runway. The airplane came to a stop aligned about 180-degrees from the original runway heading. The fuselage, firewall, empennage, and right wing were substantially damaged during the accident sequence.

The closest aviation weather reporting facility was located at Little Rock Air Force Base (KLRF), about 17 nm southeast of the accident site. At 0955, the KLRF automated surface observing system reported the following weather conditions: Wind 220 degrees true at 10 knots, gusting 16 knots; surface visibility 10 miles; sky clear; temperature 33 degrees Celsius; dew point 21 degrees Celsius; altimeter setting 29.97 inches of mercury.

The accident airplane, serial number 08-02-05, was manufactured by Flight Design GmbH of Leinfelden-Echterdingen, Germany, and then was imported into the United States by Airtime Aviation Inc. of Tulsa, Oklahoma. The light-sport airplane obtained a special airworthiness certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration on May 24, 2008. The airplane was subsequently sold to the owner-of-record on June 4, 2008. When the accident occurred, the airplane had accumulated 1,149.9 hours since new. A review of the available maintenance information established that the main landing gear legs had never been repaired or replaced. Both main landing gear legs were sent to the National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB) Materials Laboratory Division for examination.

Index for Jul2012 | Index of months