- Date
- April 14, 2026, 04:17 local (10:17 UTC)
- Place
- Peyton, CO
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N495LPPipistrel Alpha Trainer
- Defining event
- Enroute: Fuel exhaustion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report July 15, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20260414003409A
- Case key
- 202824
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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.
Findings · 4
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The two commercial rated pilots were conducting a night cross-country flight with the purpose of building flight time. The pilots assessed fuel while on the return leg of their planned route and decided that there was enough fuel to conduct a practice instrument approach at another airport. After completing the practice approach, about 4 gallons of fuel was indicated on the fuel gauge and the pilots flew toward their destination. Subsequently, about 8 nautical miles from the destination, the engine lost all power. The right seat pilot conducted a forced landing to a field during which the airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. Post-accident inspection of the fuel system showed no fuel visible in the tank and about 1/2 teaspoon of fuel was drained from the sump. Post-accident examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of any preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. According to the right seat pilot, there was a squawk on the airplane stating that the fuel gauge indicated about 2.5 to 3 gallons high. She stated that the squawk was not seen before the accident flight. According to the flight school, upon dispatching, pilots are automatically presented with open squawks to review through the company dispatching software.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N495LP
- Reported as
- Pipistrel Alpha Trainer
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1160 AT 912 LSA
- Built
- 2023
- Engine
- Rotax 912UL SERIES, 80 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Meridian Aviation Services LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · April 13, 2026
- Departed
- LIC · Limon, CO
- Destination
- FLY · Colorado Springs, CO
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- FLY
- Equipment
- Electronic primary flight display, Stall warning system, ADS-B, Airframe parachute, Auto-pilot
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 29
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 22, 2025
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 1,209 total · 10 in this make and model · 1,092 as pilot in command · 218 in the last 90 days · 60 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot-rated passenger
- Age
- 30
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1
- Seat
- Left
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- 10° at 9 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 14 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.91 inHg
- Turbulence
- Moderate
- Observed at
- KFLY, 5 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KFLY 141015Z AUTO 01009G19KT 10SM SCT090 SCT110 08/M10 A2991 RMK AO2 T00761098
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 15, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 7.4 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.