Pipistrel VIRUS N145VS

Summary

On 2 December 2015 at about 02:50 local time, a Pipistrel VIRUS registered N145VS was involved in an accident near Englewood, Colorado, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 December 2015 at 02:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Englewood, Colorado, United States

Nearest airport

Centennial (KAPA)

Coordinates

39.5703, -104.8219

Aircraft

Pipistrel VIRUS

Registration

N145VS

Category

Glider

Year built

2011

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Sayre → Denver

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

CEN16LA053

Nobody was injured.

The total loss of engine power due to fuel starvation as a result of contamination in the right fuel tank and fuel lines, which prevented fuel from flowing to the engine.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot was conducting a personal cross-country flight. The pilot reported that, while en route to the destination airport, he noted that the right tank's fuel level was not changing and that it did not appear that fuel was draining from the right tank. The fuel remaining in the left fuel tank was not adequate to complete the planned flight. The pilot chose to divert to a closer airport, and while he was preparing to land, the engine lost power. The pilot performed a forced landing to a field, during which the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. Contaminants consistent with insects and leaves were recovered from the right fuel tank and fuel lines. The contamination had prevented the fuel from flowing from the right fuel tank to the engine and resulted in the loss of engine power. No other anomalies were noted that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.