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| Date: | Thursday 8 October 2020 |
| Time: | 16:15 LT |
| Type: |  Pipistrel Alpha Trainer |
| Owner/operator: | Piedmont Flight Training |
| Registration: | N227PF |
| MSN: | 1004 AT 912 LSA |
| Year of manufacture: | 2019 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 125 hours |
| Engine model: | Rotax 912 ULS 2 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Yadkin, Stokes County, NC -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Unknown |
| Departure airport: | Winston-Salem-Smith-Reynolds Airport, NC (INT/KINT) |
| Rural Hall, NC | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot reported that the airplane was at 5,000 ft and an engine power setting of 5,000 rpm when he began to pitch and roll to practice a chandelle. At the start of the control inputs for the maneuver, he looked down at his kneeboard and personal electronic device and readjusted its position on his leg and around the control stick. The pilot advised that during this time, he may have released the backpressure on the control stick but continued the turn. While focused on the kneeboard he heard the engine rpm increase, then looked up and realized that the airplane had entered an unusual attitude. During this same time, he became disoriented and tried to correct visually, instead of by reference to the instruments. As such, he inadvertently increased the rate of descent and was unable to determine the airplane's position as it rapidly gained airspeed. He then heard a 'pop' sound and deployed the airplane's ballistic recovery system (BRS). The BRS system's parachute deployed successfully, and the airplane came to rest in trees without its left wing. The outboard section of the left wing was subsequently recovered; however, the inboard section was not found. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to maintain airplane control and improper recovery from an unusual attitude, which resulted in an in-flight breakup.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB ERA21LA014
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N227PF
Location
Media:
The North Carolina State Highway Patrol is investigating a small plane crash in Stokes County. The pilot, who is an instructor at Piedmont Flight Training at Smith Reynolds Airport, is uninjured, according to troopers. https://t.co/i7TH8Ijn9b
— WXII 12 News (@WXII) October 9, 2020
📸: WXII 12 News, Bobby Clayton pic.twitter.com/es6Kkwnbou
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 09-Oct-2020 01:40 | Geno | Added |
| 09-Oct-2020 01:48 | Geno | Updated [Source] |
| 09-Oct-2020 07:11 | harro | Updated [Embed code, Damage, Narrative] |
| 09-Oct-2020 07:14 | harro | Updated [Registration, Cn, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Embed code] |
| 09-Oct-2020 07:15 | harro | Updated [Source] |
| 09-Oct-2020 07:50 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Location, Nature, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 12-Oct-2020 01:55 | Captain Adam | Updated [Narrative] |
| 07-Jul-2022 18:24 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Other fatalities, Nature, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative, Category, Accident report] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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