{"id":"821c146f-2791-4ddc-9f5a-5b3938696585","slug":"pipistrel-alpha-electro-fatal-stadskanaal-2018-10-13","kind":"fatality","headline":"Fatal loss of control accident with Pipistrel Alpha Electro near Stadskanaal airfield, Netherlands","summary":"On 13 October 2018, an Italian-registered Pipistrel Alpha Electro (I-D057) crashed near Stadskanaal airfield in the Netherlands, killing the sole pilot. The Dutch Safety Board determined the accident was caused by a low airspeed situation close to stall speed, leading to a stall and incipient spin from which the aircraft did not recover. Contributing factors included the aircraft's full-span flaperons, unusual landing configuration of +25° flaps on base leg, lack of a stall warning system, and the pilot's limited experience with the Alpha Electro. The aircraft caught fire post-impact and was destroyed. This was the first accident worldwide with a Pipistrel Alpha Electro and the first with an electric-powered aircraft in the Netherlands.","occurredAt":"2018-10-13T12:48:00.000Z","reviewStatus":"unreviewed","modelId":null,"deploymentId":null,"companyId":"e6fb127e-7747-4a18-a132-771412369ea6","dataCenterId":null,"aliases":[],"collisionRisk":"none","reviewNote":null,"severity":"critical","rootCauseCategory":null,"rootCauseDetail":null,"affectedUnitsCount":null,"affectedUnitsBasis":null,"remediationStatus":"remediated","regulatoryAction":"inquiry_opened","regulatoryBody":"other","propertyDamageEstimateUsd":null,"damageEstimateBasis":null,"bodilyInjurySeverity":null,"fatalityCount":null,"lossCostClass":null,"sourceQualityTier":null,"oshaRecordable":null,"oshaCaseNumber":null,"rootCauseDisclosed":null,"publicDisclosureDate":null,"insuranceClaimPublic":null,"formFactor":null,"latitude":null,"longitude":null,"autonomyClass":null,"legalOutcomeClass":"unknown","createdAt":"2026-08-17T20:23:48.919Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-17T20:23:48.919Z","model":null,"deployment":null,"company":{"id":"e6fb127e-7747-4a18-a132-771412369ea6","name":"Pipistrel","slug":"pipistrel","description":"Slovenian electric aircraft pioneer and global leader in electric aviation, headquartered in Ajdovščina. Founded in 1989 by Ivo Boscarol, Pipistrel achieved the world's first EASA type-certification for a fully electric aircraft with the [Velis Electro](/models/velis-electro) in 2020. The company was acquired by [Textron](https://www.textron.com) in 2022 for 42M and now operates as part of Textron eAviation, maintaining its brand, HQ, and R&D in Slovenia.","status":null,"founded":1989,"hq":"Ajdovščina, Slovenia","hqLat":null,"hqLng":null,"hqGeocodedAt":null,"hqAddress":null,"hqPrecision":null,"website":null,"fundingTotal":null,"type":null,"reviewStatus":"reviewed","lifecycleState":"active","supersededByCompanyId":null,"sources":[{"url":"https://www.pipistrel-aircraft.com/products/velis-electro/","name":"pipistrel-aircraft.com","title":"Velis Electro - Pipistrel"},{"url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pipistrel_Velis_Electro","name":"Wikipedia","title":"Pipistrel Velis Electro"}],"keyFacts":[{"label":"Founded","value":"1989"},{"label":"Certification","value":"Velis Electro — world's first EASA type-certified electric aircraft"},{"label":"Operations","value":"Certified for pilot training in 30+ countries"},{"label":"Parent company","value":"Textron (acquired 2022)"},{"label":"Expertise","value":"15+ years in electric flight"},{"label":"Noise","value":"60 dBA — ultra-quiet operation"},{"label":"Products","value":"Velis Electro, Alpha Trainer, Explorer, Voyager"},{"label":"Founder","value":"Ivo Boscarol"},{"label":"President & MD","value":"Gabriel Massey"},{"label":"Key milestone","value":"World's first EASA type-certified electric aircraft (Velis Electro, June 2020)"},{"label":"Units delivered","value":"2,500+ light aircraft since 1989 (company-reported)"},{"label":"Certified engine","value":"Pipistrel E-811 (EASA-certified May 2020)"}],"aliases":[],"collisionRisk":"low","reviewNote":null,"atsProvider":null,"atsSlug":null,"factoryLocations":null,"manufacturingCapacity":null,"orgType":null,"burnSignal":null,"litigationEvents":null,"insurancePostureDisclosed":null,"unitEconomicsDisclosed":null,"tickerSymbol":null,"stockExchange":null,"secCik":null,"revenueUsd":null,"revenueBasis":null,"revenueAsOf":null,"employeeCount":null,"employeeCountBasis":null,"employeeCountAsOf":null,"marketCapUsd":null,"marketCapAsOf":null,"marketCapSource":null,"createdAt":"2026-08-17T18:21:47.231Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-17T20:25:24.645Z"},"derived":{"status":"active"},"sources":[{"id":"6240d53f-41f4-4e62-ab6b-7326ec619a66","incidentId":"821c146f-2791-4ddc-9f5a-5b3938696585","url":"https://onderzoeksraad.nl/en/onderzoek/fatal-loss-of-control-pipistrel-alpha-electro-near-stadskanaal/","label":"Dutch Safety Board","publishedAt":"2020-07-10T00:00:00.000Z","notes":null,"title":null,"sourceName":"Dutch Safety Board","mediaType":"article","videoId":null,"channel":null,"durationSec":null,"timestampSec":null,"createdAt":"2026-08-17T20:23:48.919Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-17T20:23:48.919Z"},{"id":"509b5df0-c274-442d-9838-eb613a8624fd","incidentId":"821c146f-2791-4ddc-9f5a-5b3938696585","url":"https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/216236","label":"Aviation Safety Network","publishedAt":null,"notes":null,"title":null,"sourceName":"Aviation Safety Network","mediaType":"article","videoId":null,"channel":null,"durationSec":null,"timestampSec":null,"createdAt":"2026-08-17T20:23:48.919Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-17T20:23:48.919Z"}],"responses":[],"statusEvents":[{"id":"bd9b88f1-4268-4550-b387-9b349a716136","incidentId":"821c146f-2791-4ddc-9f5a-5b3938696585","status":"active","reason":null,"source":"agent:recon","effectiveAt":"2026-08-17T20:23:50.059Z","createdAt":"2026-08-17T20:23:50.059Z"}],"jsonLd":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://registry.deploy.report/incidents/pipistrel-alpha-electro-fatal-stadskanaal-2018-10-13","url":"https://registry.deploy.report/incidents/pipistrel-alpha-electro-fatal-stadskanaal-2018-10-13","headline":"Fatal loss of control accident with Pipistrel Alpha Electro near Stadskanaal airfield, Netherlands","description":"On 13 October 2018, an Italian-registered Pipistrel Alpha Electro (I-D057) crashed near Stadskanaal airfield in the Netherlands, killing the sole pilot. The Dutch Safety Board determined the accident was caused by a low airspeed situation close to stall speed, leading to a stall and incipient spin from which the aircraft did not recover. Contributing factors included the aircraft's full-span flaperons, unusual landing configuration of +25° flaps on base leg, lack of a stall warning system, and the pilot's limited experience with the Alpha Electro. The aircraft caught fire post-impact and was destroyed. This was the first accident worldwide with a Pipistrel Alpha Electro and the first with an electric-powered aircraft in the Netherlands.","identifier":"821c146f-2791-4ddc-9f5a-5b3938696585","datePublished":"2018-10-13T12:48:00.000Z","articleSection":"fatality","publisher":{"@id":"https://deploy.report/#organization"},"author":{"@id":"https://deploy.report/#organization"}},"framework_metadata":{"framework_schema_version":"0.1.0","verification_status":"unreviewed","maturity_stage":null,"lifecycle_state":null,"architectural_position":{"cohort":null,"sub_cohorts":[]},"within_cohort_verified_vs_claimed_pair":null,"cap_flags":[],"verification_depth":{"sources_count":2,"primary_source_types":[]}}}