- Date
- May 29, 2019, 20:45 local (May 30, 2019, 02:45 UTC)
- Place
- Salida, CO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N40ENPipistrel Alpha Trainer
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of engine power (total)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 17, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20190529005399A
- Case key
- 99519
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 pilot's failure to replace the fuel cap after fueling, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion and a subsequent forced landing to a field and subsequent collision with a fence.
Findings · 3
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 pilot reported that, after fueling the airplane, he did not realize that he had not replaced the fuel cap. During takeoff, the fuel gauge showed that the airplane had 74% of fuel remaining. About 5 nautical miles from the destination airport, the fuel gauge showed that the airplane had 10% of fuel remaining. He flew the airplane in a straight line to the end of the runway and reduced the engine throttle setting to idle, which set up a lower glidepath than normal. When the airplane reached a field west of the runway, the airplane "ran out of fuel." The pilot conducted a forced landing on the field, during which the airplane impacted a fence. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the forward fuselage. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector who examined the wreckage reported that less than 1/2 a gallon of fuel was recovered from the fuel tank. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that, after fueling the airplane, he did not realize that he did not replace the fuel cap. During takeoff, the fuel gauge showed that the airplane had 74% of fuel (fuel gauge indicates in percent). About 5 nm from the destination airport, the fuel gauge showed that the airplane had 10% of fuel left. He flew the airplane in a straight line to the end of the runway and reduced the engine throttle setting to idle, which set up a lower glide path than normal. When the airplane reached the field west of the runway, the airplane "ran out of fuel." The airplane touched down on the field and impacted a barb wire fence during the landing roll. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the wreckage and reported that less than half a gallon of fuel was recovered from the fuel tank. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the forward fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N40EN
- Reported as
- Pipistrel Alpha Trainer (No Series)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 683 AT 912 LSA
- Built
- 2014
- Airframe hours
- 211
- Engine
- Rotax 912 UL2, 80 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 10, 2018
- Departed
- GUP · Gallup, NM
- Destination
- ANK · Salida, CO
- Airport
- ANK · Salida Arpt Harriett Alexander, runway 06, 7,351 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic primary flight display, Electronic multifunction display, Airframe parachute, ADS-B, Satellite tracking device
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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 64
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Sport Pilot
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Sport pilot, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 13, 2018
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 266 total · 166 in this make and model · 266 as pilot in command · 41 in the last 90 days · 41 in the last 30 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Observed at
- 0V2, 1 nm away
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 26, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.6 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.