Pipistrel ALPHA TRAINER accident near Colorado City, Arizona, July 11, 2025
On July 11, 2025 at about 5:50 pm local time, a Pipistrel ALPHA TRAINER, registered N209ZM, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Colorado City, Arizona. 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 pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s never-exceed speed (VNE) during maneuvering, which resulted in the in-flight separation of the left flaperon.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 11, 2025 · about 5:50 pm local time · cases in 2025
- Place
- Colorado City, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Pipistrel ALPHA TRAINER · all ALPHA TRAINERs on the register
- Registration
- N209ZM · no longer on the register · serial 5380
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that during a steep turn maneuver, the airplane pitched down and accelerated rapidly. The pilot stated that the airplane exceeded the never-exceed speed (VNE) and encountered aerodynamic buffeting, which resulted in the in-flight separation of the outboard portion of the left flaperon and substantial damage to the left wing. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions 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
- Part(s) separation from AC during maneuvering defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Capability exceeded
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Wing structure › Ailerons › Damaged/degraded other cases naming the airframe structure
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 272 hours in all; 123 in this make and model; 36 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 227 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 24, 2025
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot-Rated Passenger
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 163 hours in all; 158 in this make and model; 33 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 102 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 29, 2025
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,214.4 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, May 24, 2025; 77 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,212 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912UL (piston); 1,214 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KGCN Grand Canyon Village AZ at 4:50 pm
- Destination: 1L8 Hurricane UT
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 14°F (-10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 10:55 am from KAZC, 18 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KAZC 111755Z AUTO 18004KT 10SM CLR 33/M10 A3013 RMK AO2
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photograph 1 – Left wing trailing edge, outboard flaperon section missing
Photograph 2 – Left wing, outboard flaperon missing; hinge channel exposedThe 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
2 documents, released by the NTSB on November 6, 2025. 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, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 3 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
- N209ZM: 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 912UL 134 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Grand Canyon Ntl Park Airport · departed from
- General Dick Stout Field · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Arizona 2,985 since 1982 · 466 in the last ten years
- Arizona 8,435 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR25LA209.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.