- Date
- September 11, 2025, 21:30 local (Sep 12, 2025, 03:30 UTC)
- Place
- Rocky Ridge, UT
- Injuries
- 3 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N8VTDiamond Aircraft Ind DA 40
- Defining event
- Maneuvering: Miscellaneous/other
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report November 20, 2025
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20250911018379A
- Case key
- 201012
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The flight instructor’s inadequate supervision and delayed remedial action during an unusual attitude recovery, which resulted in a descent into terrain.
Findings · 5
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The flight instructor and student pilot were conducting a night visual flight rules training flight, which included a recovery from an unusual attitude. During the recovery maneuver, the student pilot became concerned about the airplane’s proximity to mountainous terrain. The flight instructor and student pilot then both focused their attention on the multi-function display (MFD) to confirm their position. While both pilots were observing the MFD the airplane entered a decent, which the instructor and student pilot both failed to notice until the terrain was illuminated by the landing light. The flight instructor then took control of the airplane; however, the airplane contacted the ground, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing and separation of the empennage. The flight instructor reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8VT
- Reported as
- Diamond Aircraft Ind DA 40
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 40.480
- Built
- 2005
- Airframe hours
- 1,195.8
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-360-M1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Aleph Leasing LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 31, 2025
- Departed
- SPK · Spanish Fork, UT
- Destination
- U14 · Nephi, UT
- Equipment
- Auto-pilot, ADS-B, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Stall warning system, Electronic primary flight display, Electronic multifunction display
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 28
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 27, 2024
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 1,516 total · 86 in this make and model · 1,367 as pilot in command · 163 in the last 90 days · 51 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 44
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 25 total · 25 in this make and model · 0 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- 231° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 11.5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.95 inHg
- Observed at
- PVU, 19 nm away
- METAR
- KPVU 120256Z 10004KT 4SM HZ 21/08 A2997 RMK AO2 SLP103 T02060083 53008
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 20, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.2 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.