Pipistrel SINUS 912 N331AV

Summary

On 22 August 2019 at about 20:45 local time, a Pipistrel SINUS 912 registered N331AV, operated by San Antonio Light Sport Aircraft Inc, was involved in an accident near Oxford, Florida, United States. One person was 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

22 August 2019 at 20:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Oxford, Florida, United States

Coordinates

28.9403, -82.0522

Aircraft

Pipistrel SINUS 912

Registration

N331AV

Category

Airplane

Year built

2015

Engines

1

Operator

San Antonio Light Sport Aircraft Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA19CA505

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s continued use of battery power during a nonpowered flight in a powered-glider, which depleted the battery to a level that was insufficient to power the starter during the engine restart sequence and resulted in a forced landing to a soft field and a subsequent nose-over.  

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he was building hours in the powered-glider to prepare for his glider instructor rating examination. He departed the airport with power and climbed to the west to chase thermals. After the powered-glider reached 4,000 ft above ground level (agl), he shut down the engine, left the battery power on, and continued to climb to 4,500 ft agl. After 30 minutes, he attempted to restart the engine, but the starter only cranked the engine briefly, and the propeller travelled one full revolution and then stopped. After another unsuccessful engine start attempt and with the glider too far away to glide back to the airport, the pilot located a field for a forced landing. During the landing roll, the main landing gear wheels dug into the soft field, and the powered-glider nosed over and then came to rest inverted, which resulted in substantial damage to the engine mount truss. Postaccident examination of the powered-glider revealed that the single battery was depleted to a level that was insufficient to power the starter during the engine restart sequence. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident malfunctions or failures with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.