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October 31, 2016 · Diamond Aircraft Ind DA 20 C1 · N781MA

Bristow, VA

Overview

Report Status
Final with probable cause
Event Type
Accident
Date
October 31, 2016
Injury Outcomes
1 injury (1 minor injury)
Location
Bristow, VA
Aircraft
Diamond Aircraft Ind DA 20 C1 (2004)
Tail Number
N781MA
Injuries
Minor
Aircraft Damage
Substantial
NTSB Number
GAA17CA055

According to the pilot, after multiple previous landings that night to runway 34L, the airplane was thrown "off course" after it encountered a crosswind. The pilot pulled the power off briefly during the landing, and the airplane touched down. However, he reported that he made a late decision to go around and reapplied the power to establish a climb. He added that the airplane was "off course" at a low airspeed and that he applied full power, but he panicked and reduced his right rudder application, and the airplane veered to the left. The airplane stalled and impacted the ground, the nose landing gear became embedded in the mud, and the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing root and empennage. According to the airport security camera video, the airplane descended over runway 34L and made an immediate sharp left 270° turn to the left of the runway heading and rapidly ascended. After the sharp left turn, the airplane was airborne for about 534 ft before impacting the ground and nosing over. White paint transfer markings observed on the runway surface and damage to the airplane's left wing indicated that the airplane had impacted the runway surface during the accident sequence. About 25 minutes before the accident, the published METAR for the accident airport reported that the wind was from 320° at 6 knots. There were no reported wind gusts at the time of the accident, and there were no published wind gusts at the airport for the remainder of the day. The pilot reported that he had 99 hours of total flight time, 78 hours of which were in the accident airplane make and model, and 4 hours of which were within the 90 days before the accident. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot’s loss of directional control during a landing attempt at night, which resulted in a delayed go-around procedure and subsequent impact with terrain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s lack of recent flight experience.

Full Narrative

According to the pilot, after multiple previous landings that night to runway 34L, he reported that the airplane was thrown "off course" after it encountered a crosswind. The pilot pulled the power off briefly during the landing and the airplane touched down. However, he reported that he made a late decision to go-around and reapplied the power in hopes of establishing a climb. The airplane was "off course" at a low airspeed, and he applied full power; but he panicked and reduced his right rudder application and the airplane veered to the left. The airplane stalled and impacted the ground, the nose landing gear became imbedded in the mud and the airplane nosed over and came to rest inverted. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing root, and empennage. According to the airport security camera video, the airplane descended over runway 34L, and made an immediate sharp left turn 270° to the left of the runway heading, and rapidly ascended. After the sharp left turn, the airplane was airborne for about 534 ft. before impacting the ground and nosing over. White paint transfer markings observed on the runway surface, and damage to the airplane's left wing indicated that the airplane had impacted the runway surface during the accident sequence. About 25 minutes prior to the accident, the published METAR for the accident airport reported that the wind was out of 320° true at 6 knots. There were no reported wind gusts at the time of the accident, and there were no published wind gusts at the airport for the remainder of the day. The pilot reported that he has 99 hours of total flight time, 78 hours in the accident airplane make and model, and a total of 4 hours of flight time within the last 90 days prior to the accident. The pilot reported that there were no pre-accident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Flight

Event TypeAccident
Event Time20:15 EDT
Nearest AirportManassas Rgnl/Harry P Davis Fi (0nm NE)
Runway34L
Runway Length3715 ft
Runway Width100 ft
Flight Plan FiledNone
Flight Plan ActivatedNo
Aircraft FireNo
Aircraft ExplosionNo

Aircraft

AircraftDiamond Aircraft Ind DA 20 C1
Tail NumberN781MA
Aircraft CategoryAir
DamageSubstantial
Operating RulePart 91
Engines1
Engine TypeReciprocating
Engine DetailsContinential · IO-240-B · Reciprocating · 125
Seats2

People & Injuries

Injury Summary1 injury (1 minor injury)
Fatal0
Serious0
Minor1
Uninjured0
Total1
Crew 1Age 35 · Third Class · None

Conditions

ConditionsVMC
LightDaylight
Wind320° @ 6 kt
Visibility10 sm
CeilingBroken clouds 11000 ft
Temperature / Dew Point70 F / 59
Altimeter29.94 inHg
Observation Time23:50
Weather SourceWFAC

Appendix: Source Data