# Accident 20240919015079A: Pipistrel Italia S R L VIRUS SW, Boulder, CO, September 19, 2024

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 19, 2024, 13:29 local time
- Place: Boulder, CO
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 40.0394° N, 105.2261° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.0394&lon=-105.2261&mi=10
- Aircraft: N202MM, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N202MM) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Pipistrel Italia S R L VIRUS SW (registry code 06001C7, https://openairdocs.org/model/pipistrel-italia-s-r-l-virus-sw) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Rotax 912 IS series (registry code 55593, https://openairdocs.org/engine/rotax-912-is-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPISTREL ITALIA S R L VIRUS SW
- Reported engine: ROTAX 912 IS
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, private pilot, student
- Pilot flight hours: 435 total, 6 in this make and model, 11 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN24LA359](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN24LA359) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20240919015079A

## Narrative

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

ON SEPTEMBER 19, 2024 AT APPROXIMATELY 1330 MDT THE AIRCRAFT SUFFERED A HARD LANDING AND THE PILOT FAILED TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT WHICH RESULTED IN THE NOSE LANDING GEAR COLLAPSING ON RWY 08 AT BDU.  THE LANDING WAS MADE UNDER VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS WITH CLEAR SKIES AND NO WIND REPORTED.  THERE WERE NO PASSENGERS ONBOARD AND NO INJURIES TO THE PILOT.  THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED DAMAGE TO THE NOSE-WHEEL ASSEMBLY AS WELL AS THE ENGINE MOUNT AND THE PROPELLER WITH AN OVERALL CLASSIFICATION OF SUBSTANTIAL.  THE AIRCRAFT WAS REMOVED FROM THE RUNWAY AND IS CURRENTLY UNDERGOING REPAIRS.  THE PILOT STATED THAT “IMMEDIATELY AFTER TOUCHDOWN, THERE WAS AN UPWARD PITCH FOLLOWED BY EPISODES OF INCREASING VARIATION IN PITCH THEN A SUDDEN DOWNWARD PITCH THAT LIKELY CORRESPONDED TO COLLAPSE OF THE NOSE GEAR AND ASSOCIATED PROP DAMAGE, ETC”.  THERE WERE NO KNOWN MECHANICAL ISSUES WITH THE AIRCRAFT PRIOR TO FLIGHT.

## 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 CEN24LA359](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN24LA359), Sep 19, 2024: Pipistrel Italia S R L Virus SW (N202MM), Boulder, CO, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot’s improper landing flare, which resulted in a nose down attitude and subsequent porpoised landing.

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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