Pipistrel Alpha Trainer accident near Rural Hall, North Carolina, October 8, 2020
On October 8, 2020 at about 8:15 pm local time, a 2019 Pipistrel Alpha Trainer, registered N227PF, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Rural Hall, North Carolina. It was an other work-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control and improper recovery from an unusual attitude, which resulted in an in-flight breakup.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 8, 2020 · about 8:15 pm local time · cases in 2020
- Place
- Rural Hall, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Pipistrel Alpha Trainer, built 2019 · all Alpha Trainers on the register
- Registration
- N227PF · no longer on the register · serial 1004 AT 912 LSA
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
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.
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
- Loss of control in flight during maneuvering defining event
- Attempted remediation/recovery during uncontrolled descent
- Aircraft structural failure during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Wing structure › (general) › Failure other cases naming the airframe structure
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › (general) › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: unmanned (suas)
- Flight time: 921 hours in all; 140 in this make and model; 128 in the last 90 days; 42 in the last 30 days; 840 as pilot in command; 566 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 20, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 125.0 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 6, 2020; 27.9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,212 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912 ULS 2 (piston); 125 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: INT Winston Salem NC at 8:07 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 3:54 pm from KINT, 7 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KINT 082054Z VRB03KT 10SM CLR 27/16 A3006 RMK AO2 SLP169 T02720156 56011
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 6 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photo 1 – Main Wreckage –
Photo 2 – Right Side View of Main Wreckage –
Photo 3 – Close Up of Right Side –
Photo 4 – Top View of Main Wreckage –
Photo 5 – Close Up of Top –
Photo 6 – Left Wing Root –The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on July 20, 2021. 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 |
| 2 | Memorandum for Record - Information from Inspector Dan Kelly | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Pilot's Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Photo Array | PDF, 6 pages · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N227PF: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Pipistrel ALPHA TRAINER 170 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Pipistrel 398 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Rotax 912 ULS 2 209 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Smith Reynolds Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in North Carolina 1,762 since 1982 · 304 in the last ten years
- North Carolina 7,126 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA21LA014.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.