Plane Hit With Crosswind During Touch-And-Go

The pilot of a Flight Design CTSW light sport aircraft was injured when his plane was apparently blown off the runway at Maryland's Tipton Airport Sunday, during a touch-and-go landing.

The Annapolis Capital newspaper reports Daniel Schweizer, 27, injured his hand and forehead when the aircraft flipped over, landing about 100 feet off the runway. The aircraft is a total loss.

"It completely broke in half and turned upside down," said county fire department spokesman Battalion Chief Michael Cox. The aircraft was about three-quarters down the airport's 3,000-foot runway when the incident occurred, he added.

Schweizer was treated at a local hospital and released.

Landing accidents appear to be the most common incidents among aircraft certified in the two-year-old Light Sport category, according to FAA and NTSB accidents reports. According to the NTSB, two other CTs have experienced landing mishaps this year -- one in New Mexico, the other in Idaho.

The FAA is investigating.

IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 22QT        Make/Model: GMBH      Description: FLIGHT DESIGN GMBH CTSW
  Date: 04/29/2007     Time: 1458

  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: Minor     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Destroyed

LOCATION
  City: ODENTON   State: MD   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  AIRCRAFT ON LANDING FLIPPED OVER, TIPTON AIRPORT, FORT MEADE ODENTON, MD

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   0
                 # Crew:   1     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   1     Unk:   
                 # Pass:   0     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   

WEATHER: BWI 1454Z WIND 300016G 21KNTS VIS10 TEMP19/M07 A2989

OTHER DATA
  Activity: Unknown      Phase: Landing      Operation: OTHER

  Departed: FORT MEADE, MD              Dep Date:    Dep. Time:     
  Destination: FORT MEADE, MD           Flt Plan: VFR          Wx Briefing: 
  Last Radio Cont: 
  Last Clearance: 

  FAA FSDO: BALTIMORE, MD  (EA07)                 Entry date: 04/30/2007

FMI: www.faa.gov