# Accident 20260414003409A: Pipistrel D O O ALPHA TRAINER, Payton, CO, April 14, 2026

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 14, 2026, 04:17 local time
- Place: Payton, CO
- Airport: Meadow Lake
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 38.9791° N, 104.4743° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.9791&lon=-104.4743&mi=10
- Aircraft: N495LP, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N495LP) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Pipistrel D O O ALPHA TRAINER (registry code 06001C6, https://openairdocs.org/model/pipistrel-d-o-o-alpha-trainer) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Rotax 912UL series (registry code 55571, https://openairdocs.org/engine/rotax-912ul-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPISTREL D O O ALPHA TRAINER
- Reported engine: ROTAX 912UL SERIES
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor, private pilot, student
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN26LA165](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN26LA165) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20260414003409A

## Narrative

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

ON 04/14/2026 AT APPROXIMATLY 0417, WHILE FINISHING UP A CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT, NEAR PAYTON COLORADO PILOTS EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF ENGINE POWER FROM AROUND 5000RPMS TO ABOUT 2700RPMS. AN INCREASE IN THROTTLE WAS ADDED WITH NO INCREASE IN RPM. PILOT STATED THEY HAD SUFFICIENT FUEL (2GALLONS) SO COULDN’T BE A FUEL STARVATION. FUEL FLOW WAS OVER 3. THE RPM CONTINUED TO DROP TO AROUND 1500. THE OIL PRESSURE RED LINED AND WENT TO ZERO WITHIN SECONDS. THE ENGINE SHUTOFF A SECOND LATER. PILOT SQUAWKED 7700, PILOT REACHED OUT ON 124.0 AND DECLARED AN EMERGENCY TO ATC, PILOTS LANDED. THE LANDING STARTED OUT SMOOTH, THE AIRPLANE WENT AIRBORNE AGAIN, HIT A HILL REALLY HARD AND PILOT THOUGHT THE LANDING GEAR MUST HAVE COLLAPSED. THE AIRPLANE WENT AIRBORNE AGAIN AND THEN SETTLED TO A STOP.

## 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 CEN26LA165](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN26LA165), Apr 14, 2026: Pipistrel Alpha Trainer (N495LP), Peyton, CO, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilots’ inadequate preflight fuel planning and improper in-flight fuel management, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion and subsequent forced landing to a field.

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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