Thread: CTLS damaged in windy landing

Anyone have info on the LS that had a bad landing. I think it was in the New England area a few days ago. I guess it was VERY windy. Heard the pilot was OK, plane is a mess.

preliminary info from FAA database:

Regis#: 471CT Make/Model: EXP Description: FLIGHT DESIGN GMBH CTLS LSA
Date: 03/18/2009 Time: 1800

Event Type: Incident Highest Injury: None Mid Air: N Missing: N
Damage: Unknown

LOCATION
City: PITTSTOWN State: NJ Country: US

DESCRIPTION
AIRCRAFT ON LANDING, VEERED OFF THE SIDE OF THE RUNWAY AND STRUCK LIGHTS
AND SIGNS, PITTSTOWN, NJ

Tim

This is a good reminder for all of us and just a reminder to not relax.

Remember that your plane is still flying on the ground until it comes to a stop. So once on the ground don't mentally relax too far and forget that you need to keep lift reducing control of the plane. Things can happen quickly in bad winds. Once on the ground in winds put those controls all the way over to the position that kills as much lift as possible and keep on that rudder. You may want to brake faster in bad winds to reduce any speed quicker and get your flaps into the -6 position to help reduce any extra lift.
Other options for landing in bad winds: go around and try again, pick a different runway or request it from the tower which I have done many times. I just tell them I am too light to handle those kinds of winds. Pick a different airport until the winds recede and last but not least check the weather and don't fly that day, of course you may get caught in some winds on a cross country. If you have enough rudder and cross control to keep you straight for landing you should be able to land. If you don't have enough control then it is time to go somewhere else or if it is outside your personal envelope. Bad winds are better handled with a zero flap landing with power for the extra control and safety margin if you have to suddenly add a lot of power to save your butt.

Glad no one was hurt. Never good to hear about an incident, but we can all learn something from these things. I don't want to speculate about what could have happened but I think Roger is right about never give up flying the airplane until its tied down or in the hanger. Its real easy to get out of whack with some stiff crosswind but there are things that you can do to improve your chances. Like Roger said using lower flap settings, a little power, and killing lift once on the ground. A few more things, try adding your cross wind correction early during final. If you don't have enough rudder authority at 60 knots, chances are you won't have enough as you slow past 50 during touchdown (though winds may be lower near the ground). There is no shame in doing a low approach just to try things out, and definitely no shame in going around. Once you manage to get the airplane on the ground, resist keeping the nose light with a lot of back pressure, that nose wheel can become an anchor for you for steering once your on the ground. Keep the aileron into the wind to prevent drift, up to full aileron as you slow down. Lastly, its so important that we all evaluate our personal minimums which may not be to the limits of the aircraft but will keep us in our own capabilities. Evaluate the risk for all portions of the flight from preflight to taxi back after landing. Even doing all this, things can still happen no matter how much experience someone has, so just be careful and use your best judgement. Like I tell my kids, "If it feels wrong, it probably is!"

Eric