Pipistrel SINUS N711MK

Summary

On 10 April 2020 at about 14:40 local time, a Pipistrel SINUS registered N711MK was involved in an accident near Townsend, Tennessee, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

10 April 2020 at 14:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Townsend, Tennessee, United States

Coordinates

35.5708, -83.5850

Aircraft

Pipistrel SINUS

Registration

N711MK

Category

Airplane

Year built

2013

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Atlanta → Atlanta

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA20CA151

Nobody was injured.

The motor glider's encounter with atmospheric lift conditions that were not sufficient to maintain flight, which necessitated a forced landing and resulted in impact with vegetation. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's delayed decision to restart the motor glider's engine.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, while en route, the motor glider began to lose altitude unexpectedly. He turned the motor glider toward an area where lift was expected, but it continued to descend. When the motor glider was about 300 ft above trees, he unfeathered the propeller and started the engine. The motor glider continued to descend due to a downdraft, and the pilot deployed the airframe parachute. Subsequently, the motor glider impacted vegetation, which resulted in substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the motor glider that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.