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20260415004059I

Incident · No damage
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FAA incident report · Diamond Aircraft Ind DA20-C1 · Beaver Falls, PA · April 15, 2026

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
April 15, 2026 · 14:45 local
Place
Beaver Falls, PA
Airport
Beaver County
Phase of flight
Landing: Approach
Operating rules
Pilot school (Part 141)
Operator
4AAS
Damage
No damage
Aircraft
N395JA
Reported as
Diamond Aircraft Ind DA20-C1
Reported engine
Continental IO-240 series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
500 total
N395JARegistered now · Diamond Aircraft Ind DA20-C1S/N C0210 · Built 2003Airframe modelDiamond Aircraft Ind DA20-C1Engine modelContinental IO-240 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Investigated an engine failure of privacy data omitted on April 15, 2026 while returning from a flight training lesson to the local practice area. Upon returning to Beaver County Airport (bvi) the aircraft completed a full stop landing, then departed for an additional takeoff and landing. After reducing power in the downwind leg the engine had a significant RPM reduction (500RPM redcution) and the pilot declared an emergency. Approximately 30 seconds following the RPM reduction, the engine failed. The aircraft successfully landed on runway 28 and came to a stop off the active runway and on an adjacent taxiway. During the investigation, it was found that an exhaust gas valve in cylinder #4 was found to be separated between the valve stem and the valve head. The damaged valve head was subsequently fragmented within the cylinder and became wedged within #4 cylinder causing the engine failure and the propeller to stop and not windmill during the engine failure event. The engine was approximately 500 hours over the recommended overhaul time.

As the FAA filed it

INVESTIGATED AN ENGINE FAILURE OF ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ ON APRIL 15, 2026 WHILE RETURNING FROM A FLIGHT TRAINING LESSON TO THE LOCAL PRACTICE AREA. UPON RETURNING TO BEAVER COUNTY AIRPORT (BVI) THE AIRCRAFT COMPLETED A FULL STOP LANDING, THEN DEPARTED FOR AN ADDITIONAL TAKEOFF AND LANDING. AFTER REDUCING POWER IN THE DOWNWIND LEG THE ENGINE HAD A SIGNIFICANT RPM REDUCTION (500RPM REDCUTION) AND THE PILOT DECLARED AN EMERGENCY. APPROXIMATELY 30 SECONDS FOLLOWING THE RPM REDUCTION, THE ENGINE FAILED. THE AIRCRAFT SUCCESSFULLY LANDED ON RUNWAY 28 AND CAME TO A STOP OFF THE ACTIVE RUNWAY AND ON AN ADJACENT TAXIWAY. DURING THE INVESTIGATION, IT WAS FOUND THAT AN EXHAUST GAS VALVE IN CYLINDER #4 WAS FOUND TO BE SEPARATED BETWEEN THE VALVE STEM AND THE VALVE HEAD. THE DAMAGED VALVE HEAD WAS SUBSEQUENTLY FRAGMENTED WITHIN THE CYLINDER AND BECAME WEDGED WITHIN #4 CYLINDER CAUSING THE ENGINE FAILURE AND THE PROPELLER TO STOP AND NOT WINDMILL DURING THE ENGINE FAILURE EVENT. THE ENGINE WAS APPROXIMATELY 500 HOURS OVER THE RECOMMENDED OVERHAUL TIME.