Would you buy this CT?

[Bnelson1952]

I am considering the purchase of a 2006 Flight Designs CTsw.  In early 2009 the airplane had a ground loop.  The plane was sold to Airtime Aviation in Tulsa, OK, and repaired.  Issues after the incident included damage to the outer 2 feet of each wing, damage to the left aft wing attachment point, damage to a rudder attachment point and to the rudder, damage to the front nose cowling, replacement of engine mount and rubber engine mounts, nose gear strut, nose wheel, nose wheel fairing, prop spinner, wheel hub, nose damper, and the inspection work done on the engine after the prop suffered an immediate stop after a ground strike. (There was no damage to the engine.)

The plane currently has 750 hours on it, has had the Rotax 5 year rubber replacement done in 2018, and the BRS emergency chute was recently repacked and a new rocket installed.  There is no ADS-B installed, but it’s all glass panels, with Garmin GPS and King radio and transponder.

My main question is this; after such an incident with a carbon fiber composite aircraft in 2009, and considering the repairs needed but the fact that it has been flown without incident and well maintained since then, how much concern would you have regarding this plane and purchasing such a plane?

Thanks for your help.
Bill Nelson

[GrassStripFlyBoy]

Bill,

The damage you share sounds about as close as one can come to a complete insurance write off, and it may have been an insurance auction sale / rebuild back in the day.  Not to say that is not a good airplane and correctly repaired, just more than the normal fleet bumps and bruises.  I bought a C-150 with damage history to get my license 20 years ago, price reflected it, and when selling I had buyers shy away from it, and again the sell price reflected it.  So long as it's a sound bird and the price is reflected, know going into it that a good portion of buyers will always be shy towards significant damage.  

I happened to notice this bird on Ebay, looks like a nice one.  https://www.ebay.com/itm/2006-Flight-Design-CTSW-For-Sale-LOWER-PRICE/274136687782?hash=item3fd3d1e4a6:g:dOoAAOSwfCRdvbRr  13 hours to go on listing and no bids, has been relisted at least once, I think he was originally around 59k and looks motivated.

Seems CTsw's are hitting the market a fairly steady pace of a few a month, take your time and you'll find a nice one.  I'd pass on what you share, unless price was a deal, and a cheap airplane is not necessarily a deal.

[ZZ Top]

Something to think about is your resale or trade value in the future. My plane had nose wheel damage from the original owner. The damage was repaired by a well known shop who participates on this site. They did a great job in every facet. When it came time to trade the plane on a newer model, Tom , from Airtime, discounted the trade in by at least $20,000. Would only allow $40,000 on a 2006 with 580 hours. The plane is also in extremely good condition. When questioned about such a low value, he said that he was aware of the situation and that it is more difficult to sell a plane with damage history. So if you like the plane, make sure you purchase it at a discount.

Just an opinion. 

[GrassStripFlyBoy]

And for consideration, when I was hunting a few months back a fella had one listed on trade-a-plane with about the same amount of damage.  It needed chute repack and hoses were not too fresh as I recall.  He was asking about 30k for it.  It was an early CTsw model, maybe 2004?, and had autopilot with analog gages.  I was seriously considering it, and then he pulled off market.  After I bought mine I saw it relist again.