Pipistrel SINUS N269PW

Summary

On 4 July 2019 at about 00:00 local time, a Pipistrel SINUS registered N269PW was involved in an accident near Haverhill, Massachusetts, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 July 2019 at 00:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Haverhill, Massachusetts, United States

Nearest airport

Lawrence Muni (LWM)

Coordinates

42.7408, -71.0950

Aircraft

Pipistrel SINUS

Registration

N269PW

Category

Glider

Year built

2013

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Haverhill → Haverhill

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

ERA19LA214

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's failure to utilize the proper procedure and unfeather the motorized glider’s propeller prior to an in-flight engine restart, resulting in a lack of thrust and subsequent forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot departed in his motorized glider, climbed to 3,500 ft, then turned off the engine and feathered the two-bladed propeller once he reached the area where he wanted to soar. Since weather conditions were not conducive to soaring, he attempted to return to the airport. In preparation to land he said he restarted the engine without using the glider's documented procedures. The engine started but was not producing the expected power. The pilot thought he had a fuel problem and was not aware that the propeller was still in a feathered condition. Although the engine was operating normally, the feathered propeller was unable to produce the thrust needed to maintain altitude. The pilot subsequently made a forced landing and the airplane impacted a fence about 1.5 miles short of the runway. The glider sustained substantial damage. Postaccident examination of the glider revealed that both propeller blades and the propeller control knob were in the feathered position. Examination of the engine and airplane revealed no mechanical deficiencies that would have precluded normal operation at the time of impact.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.