Pipistrel VIRUS accident near Englewood, Colorado, December 2, 2015
On December 2, 2015 at about 2:50 am local time, a 2011 Pipistrel VIRUS (glider), registered N145VS, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach near Englewood, Colorado (Centennial airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
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.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 2, 2015 · about 2:50 am local time
- Place
- Englewood, Colorado · Centennial · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Pipistrel VIRUS NO SERIES, built 2011
- Registration
- N145VS · no longer on the register · serial 360 VSW 100 LSA
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
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.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Nose over/nose down during landing (landing roll)
- Fuel contamination during approach defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid condition
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Fuel system › Fuel distribution › Not specified
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: glider; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 510.3 hours in all; 46 in this make and model; 98 in the last 90 days; 36.9 in the last 30 days; 431.7 as pilot in command; 111.5 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 15, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 15, 2015
- Maximum gross weight: 1,040 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 3O4 Sayre OK
- Destination: KAPA Denver CO
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 28, 4,800 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 210° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 12°F (-11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from KAPA, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on July 27, 2016. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.