20201008018699A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Pipistrel Italia S R L ALPHA TRAINER · Rural Hall, NC · October 8, 2020

Date: October 8, 2020 · 16:15 local
Place: Rural Hall, NC
Phase of flight: Maneuver
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Operator: Z8YS
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N227PF
NTSB investigation: NTSBERA21LA014
Reported as: Pipistrel Italia S R L Alpha Trainer
Reported engine: ROTAX 912UL series
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor, private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 921 total140 in this make and model128 in the last 90 days

N227PFRegistration cancelled Jun 30, 2022 · Pipistrel Italia S R L ALPHA TRAINERS/N 1004 AT 912 LSA · Built 2019 Airframe modelPipistrel Italia S R L ALPHA TRAINER Engine modelRotax 912UL series4 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.

Pilot became disoriented (vertigo), aircraft entered unusual attitude, pilot initiated emergency chute deployment, aircraft attitude contributed to probable wrap of chute cord around LH wing and wing separated from aircraft. Chute carried aircraft into trees where it lodged about 10FT off the ground in a right wing & nose down attitude.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT BECAME DISORIENTED (VERTIGO), AIRCRAFT ENTERED UNUSUAL ATTITUDE, PILOT INITIATED EMERGENCY CHUTE DEPLOYMENT, AIRCRAFT ATTITUDE CONTRIBUTED TO PROBABLE WRAP OF CHUTE CORD AROUND LH WING AND WING SEPARATED FROM AIRCRAFT. CHUTE CARRIED AIRCRAFT INTO TREES WHERE IT LODGED ABOUT 10FT OFF THE GROUND IN A RIGHT WING & NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB ERA21LA014Accident · No injuriesClass 4 · LimitedFinal reportRural Hall, NCThe pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control and improper recovery from an unusual attitude, which resulted in an in-flight breakup.Oct 8, 2020 · Substantial damage