Amateur-built ALPHA TRAINER accident near Wittman, Arizona, September 25, 2025
On September 25, 2025 at about 1:53 pm local time, a 2023 amateur-built ALPHA TRAINER, registered N246EA, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Wittman, Arizona. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 25, 2025 · about 1:53 pm local time
- Place
- Wittman, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built ALPHA TRAINER, built 2023
- Registration
- N246EA · no longer on the register · serial 1165 AT 912 LSA
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On September 25, 2025, at about 0653 mountain daylight time, a Pipistrel D O O Alpha Trainer, N246EA, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Wittman, Arizona. The two pilots on board received minor injuries. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the pilots, while in cruise flight at an altitude of 6,500 ft msl, the engine suddenly experienced a total loss of power, and the propeller stopped rotating. The pilots attempted to restart the engine, but the propeller would not rotate when the starter was engaged, and they were unable to restore engine power. The pilots then prepared for a forced landing and turned the airplane toward an oval-shaped car test track. As the airplane approached the test track, the pilots realized the sloped surface of the test track made it unsuitable to land on, and they turned the airplane toward flat desert terrain north of the track. During landing, the nose landing gear dug into the dirt, and the airplane nosed over, coming to rest inverted. As a result, the airplane sustained substantial damage to its empennage. The wreckage was retained for further examination.
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 engine power (total) during enroute (cruise) defining event
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,883.4 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 5, 2025; 87.6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,212 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Operator: Mesa Pilot Development LLC
The flight
- Departed from: GEU Glendale AZ at 12:53 pm
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 88.29 inHg
- Observation at 6:55 am from BXK
Weather report (METAR): 25/09/2025 13:55-> METAR KBXK 251355Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 25/12 A2990 RMK AO2=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check at the NTSB.
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.