# Accident 20201008018699A: Pipistrel Italia S R L ALPHA TRAINER, Rural Hall, NC, October 8, 2020

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 8, 2020, 16:15 local time
- Place: Rural Hall, NC
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Maneuver
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Operator: Z8YS
- Location: 36.2727° N, 80.2936° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.2727&lon=-80.2936&mi=10
- Aircraft: N227PF, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N227PF-2022-06-30) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Pipistrel Italia S R L ALPHA TRAINER (registry code 06001B5, https://openairdocs.org/model/pipistrel-italia-s-r-l-alpha-trainer) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Rotax 912UL series (registry code 55571, https://openairdocs.org/engine/rotax-912ul-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPISTREL ITALIA S R L ALPHA TRAINER
- Reported engine: ROTAX 912UL SERIES
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor, private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 921 total, 140 in this make and model, 128 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA21LA014](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA21LA014) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20201008018699A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

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.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB ERA21LA014](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA21LA014), Oct 8, 2020: Pipistrel Alpha Trainer (N227PF), Rural Hall, NC, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control and improper recovery from an unusual attitude, which resulted in an in-flight breakup.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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