Pipistrel ALPHA TRAINER N495LP

Summary

On 14 April 2026 at about 10:17 local time, a Pipistrel ALPHA TRAINER registered N495LP was involved in an accident near Peyton, Colorado, United States. 2 people were 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

14 April 2026 at 10:17

Classification

Accident

Location

Peyton, Colorado, United States

Coordinates

38.9791, -104.4743

Aircraft

Pipistrel ALPHA TRAINER

Registration

N495LP

Category

Airplane

Year built

2023

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Limon → Colorado Springs

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

CEN26LA165

Nobody was injured.

The pilots’ inadequate preflight fuel planning and improper in-flight fuel management, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion and subsequent forced landing to a field.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The two commercial rated pilots were conducting a night cross-country flight with the purpose of building flight time. The pilots assessed fuel while on the return leg of their planned route and decided that there was enough fuel to conduct a practice instrument approach at another airport. After completing the practice approach, about 4 gallons of fuel was indicated on the fuel gauge and the pilots flew toward their destination. Subsequently, about 8 nautical miles from the destination, the engine lost all power. The right seat pilot conducted a forced landing to a field during which the airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. Post-accident inspection of the fuel system showed no fuel visible in the tank and about 1/2 teaspoon of fuel was drained from the sump. Post-accident examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of any preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. According to the right seat pilot, there was a squawk on the airplane stating that the fuel gauge indicated about 2.5 to 3 gallons high. She stated that the squawk was not seen before the accident flight. According to the flight school, upon dispatching, pilots are automatically presented with open squawks to review through the company dispatching software.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.