2 Dec 2015: PIPISTREL VIRUS NO SERIES

2 Dec 2015: PIPISTREL VIRUS NO SERIES (N145VS) — Unknown operator

No fatalities • Englewood, CO, United States

Probable cause

The total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation as a result of contamination in the right fuel tank and fuel lines, which prevented fuel from flowing to the engine.

— NTSB Determination

Accident narrative

On December 1, 2015, about 1950 mountain standard time, a Pipistrel Virus motorglider, N145VS, was substantially damaged during a forced landing following a loss of engine power near Centennial Airport (KAPA), Englewood, Colorado. The commercial pilot and his passenger were not injured. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 without a flight plan. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The cross country flight departed Sayre Municipal Airport (3O4), Sayre, Oklahoma, about 1710, was en route to Erie Municipal Airport (KEIK), Erie, Colorado, and diverted to KAPA.

While en route, the pilot assessed that the fuel level from right tank was not changing. It did not appear that fuel was draining from the right tank and the fuel remaining in the left fuel tank was not adequate to complete the flight as previously planned. The pilot requested to divert to KAPA and while preparing to land the engine lost power. The pilot performed a forced landing to a field during which the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. The lower fuselage and the engine mount were substantially damaged.

The airframe, engine, and fuel system were examined under the auspices of the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge. The sight gauges for the left and right fuel tanks and indicated capacity of the left and right fuel tanks were accurate. Visible contaminants, consistent with insect(s) and leaves, were recovered from the right fuel tank and fuel lines. Once the contaminants were removed fuel flowed freely from the right fuel tank. The examination of the engine, airframe, and remaining systems revealed no anomalies.

Contributing factors

  • Fluid condition
  • Fuel distribution

Conditions

Weather
VMC, wind 210/04kt, vis 10sm

Loading the flight search…

What you can do on Flight Finder

  • Search flights between any two airports with live fares.
  • By aircraft — pick a plane model (e.g. Boeing 787, Airbus A350) and see every route it flies from your origin.
  • Route map — click any airport worldwide to explore its destinations, or draw a radius to find nearby airports.
  • Global aviation safety — aviation accident database, 5,200+ records since 1980, with map and rankings by aircraft and operator.
  • NTSB safety feed — recent U.S. aviation accidents and incidents from the official NTSB CAROL database, updated daily.

Frequently asked questions

How do I search flights by aircraft type on FlightFinder?

Pick an aircraft model — Boeing 737, Airbus A320, A380, Boeing 787 Dreamliner and more — enter your origin airport, and FlightFinder shows every route that plane flies from there with live fares.

Which aircraft types can I filter by?

We support Boeing 737/747/757/767/777/787, the full Airbus A220/A319/A320/A321/A330/A340/A350/A380 family, Embraer E170/E175/E190/E195, Bombardier CRJ and Dash 8, and the ATR 42/72 turboprops.

Is FlightFinder free to use?

Search and schedules are free. Pro ($4.99/month, $39/year, or $99 one-time lifetime) unlocks the enriched flight card — on-time stats, CO₂ per passenger, amenities, live gate & weather — plus My Trips with push alerts.

Where does the route data come from?

Live schedules come from Amadeus, AeroDataBox and Travelpayouts. Observed routes (which aircraft actually flew a given city pair) are crowdsourced from adsb.lol ADS-B data under the Open Database License.