# Accident 20231214019839A: Diamond Aircraft Ind Inc DA 40 NG, Arden, NC, December 14, 2023

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 14, 2023, 20:21 local time
- Place: Arden, NC
- Airport: Asheville Regional
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: Pilot school (Part 141)
- Location: 35.4361° N, 82.5420° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.4361&lon=-82.5420&mi=10
- Aircraft: N907L, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N907L) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Diamond Aircraft Ind DA 40 NG (registry code 2990014, https://openairdocs.org/model/diamond-aircraft-ind-da-40-ng) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Austro E4-A (registry code 06402, https://openairdocs.org/engine/austro-e4-a) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: DIAMOND AIRCRAFT IND INC DA 40 NG
- Reported engine: AUSTRO ENGINE GMBH
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 2
- Pilot certificates: Flight instructor
- Pilot flight hours: 602 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA24LA066](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA24LA066) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20231214019839A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ON 12/14/2023 @ APPROXIMATELY 2021HRS PIC AND STUDENT PILOT DURING X-COUNTRY NIGHTTIME TRAINING FLIGHT DECLARED MAYDAY DUE TO ENGINE FAILURE AND SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT.  PIC DETERMINED THEY WOULD NOT MAKE KAVL AND INSTEAD ATTEMPTED TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY LANDING ON EASTBOUND INTERSTATE 26 APPROXIMATELY 3.5 MILES NORTH OF KAVL. AIRCRAFT STRUCK HIGH TENSION POWER LINES DURING LANDING DESCENT AND WAS THROWN INTO THE WESTBOUND LANES OF THE INTERSTATE AND BECAME ENGULFED IN FLAMES. NO GROUND INJURIES REPORTED. BOTH PILOTS TRANSPORTED TO HOSPITAL WITH INJURIES. POB: 2, INJURIES: PIC=MINOR, STUDENT=SERIOUS, DAMAGE: AIRCRAFT DESTROYED

ON 3 JANUARY 2024 THE AIRCRAFT/ENGINE WAS SENT TO ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ FOR TEARDOWN AND INSPECTION BY THE NTSB, FAA, AND AIRCRAFT/ENGINE MANUFACTURERS, WHERE IT WAS CONFIRMED THE ENGINE HAD FAILED INTERNALLY.

ON 4 JANUARY 2024 THE ROOT CAUSE OF THE ENGINE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED AND THE ENGINE WAS TRANSFERRED TO THE NTSB LABS IN WASHINGTON D.C. FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION.

SAS TASK ID: T-EA68-FY24-0471

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB ERA24LA066](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA24LA066), Dec 15, 2023: Diamond Aircraft Ind DA 40 NG (N907L), Asheville, NC, substantial damage. Probable cause: Fatigue failure of the No. 4 inner main bearing cap screw and connecting rod bolts, which resulted in a total loss of engine power. Contributing to the failure were the low material strength of the…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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