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20151130020199A

Accident · Substantial damage
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FAA accident report · Pipistrel VIRUS · Englewood, CO · November 30, 2015

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Date
November 30, 2015 · 19:54 local
Place
Englewood, CO
Airport
Centennial
Phase of flight
Landing: Approach
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N145VS
Reported as
Pipistrel Virus
Reported engine
ROTAX 912UL2
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, flight instructor, private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
510 total46 in this make and model110 in the last 90 days
N145VSRegistration cancelled May 30, 2018 · Pipistrel VIRUSS/N 360 VSW 100 LSA · Built 2011Airframe modelPipistrel VIRUSEngine modelRotax 912UL24 cycle

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

On 11/30/2015 at approximately 1954 hrs MST, N145VS a Pipistrel Virus was damaged after landing off airport in a field due to an engine failure and flipping over on its top.

The pilot was not injured, the passenger bumped his head when he released his seat belt and fell to the roof.

Flight originated at hicks field (T67) dallas Texas enroute to erie, Colorado.

Fuel was topped off before departure with a proposed flight time of around four hours. The owner of the airplane said that the airplane had a range of eight hours.

A stop was made in sayre, Oklahoma (3O4) but no fuel was added.

The flight encountered stronger winds than planned and when getting close to the denver area the fuel tubes that are the fuel indicating system showed more fuel in the right side(five gallons) than the left (one gallon)and did not appear to be feeding. The pilot decided to divert to Centennial Airport(kapa). As they were on final for runway 28 the engine quit and the airplane landed around a half mile before the runway. The nose dug into soft ground or a hole and the airplane flipped over and ended up inverted.

The pilot is a certified flight instructor and was in command of the flight. The passenger privacy data omitted is not a rated pilot.

As the FAA filed it

ON 11/30/2015 AT APPROXIMATELY 1954 HRS MST, N145VS A PIPISTREL VIRUS WAS DAMAGED AFTER LANDING OFF AIRPORT IN A FIELD DUE TO AN ENGINE FAILURE AND FLIPPING OVER ON ITS TOP.

THE PILOT WAS NOT INJURED, THE PASSENGER BUMPED HIS HEAD WHEN HE RELEASED HIS SEAT BELT AND FELL TO THE ROOF.

FLIGHT ORIGINATED AT HICKS FIELD (T67) DALLAS TEXAS ENROUTE TO ERIE, COLORADO.

FUEL WAS TOPPED OFF BEFORE DEPARTURE WITH A PROPOSED FLIGHT TIME OF AROUND FOUR HOURS. THE OWNER OF THE AIRPLANE SAID THAT THE AIRPLANE HAD A RANGE OF EIGHT HOURS.

A STOP WAS MADE IN SAYRE, OKLAHOMA (3O4) BUT NO FUEL WAS ADDED.

THE FLIGHT ENCOUNTERED STRONGER WINDS THAN PLANNED AND WHEN GETTING CLOSE TO THE DENVER AREA THE FUEL TUBES THAT ARE THE FUEL INDICATING SYSTEM SHOWED MORE FUEL IN THE RIGHT SIDE(FIVE GALLONS) THAN THE LEFT (ONE GALLON)AND DID NOT APPEAR TO BE FEEDING. THE PILOT DECIDED TO DIVERT TO CENTENNIAL AIRPORT(KAPA). AS THEY WERE ON FINAL FOR RUNWAY 28 THE ENGINE QUIT AND THE AIRPLANE LANDED AROUND A HALF MILE BEFORE THE RUNWAY. THE NOSE DUG INTO SOFT GROUND OR A HOLE AND THE AIRPLANE FLIPPED OVER AND ENDED UP INVERTED.

THE PILOT IS A CERTIFIED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR AND WAS IN COMMAND OF THE FLIGHT.THE PASSENGER ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ IS NOT A RATED PILOT.