Flight Design Gmbh CTSW N165CT accident near Gregory, Michigan

Probable cause

The pilot’s improper landing flare that resulted in a hard, bounced landing and subsequent overstress failure of the nose landing gear.

NTSB analysis

The pilot was landing on a grass runway with a slight right quartering tailwind. During the landing, the nose landing gear bounced after touchdown then separated from the airplane. The airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. The fuselage and empennage sustained substantial damage.

Metallurgical examination of the nose landing gear rotation unit revealed the fracture surfaces were consistent with shear overstress. A review of the maintenance logbooks revealed that the nose landing gear had been replaced two previous times due to hard landing events. No anomalies were noted with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

It is likely that the landing was harder than the pilot perceived, which resulted in the shear overstress of the nose landing gear.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN23LA200 for the full record.