No fatalities

13 Jun 2009: DIAMOND AIRCRAFT IND INC DA 40 — West Chester, PA

West Chester, PA, United States

On 13 Jun 2009, a DIAMOND AIRCRAFT IND INC DA 40 was involved in an aviation accident near West Chester, PA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The student pilot’s improper recovery from a bounced landing. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor’s inadequate remedial action. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

During a training flight, a student flared high, causing a hard landing and bounce. The go-around led to a left drift and wing impact with trees, resulting in substantial damage to the wing spar.

Accident Sequence

A certified flight instructor and his student were conducting training flights in the airport traffic pattern, practicing full-stop landings. On approach, the student flared the airplane too high, causing it to drop approximately 8 to 10 feet before contacting the runway. The airplane then bounced back into the air. The instructor initiated a go-around, but during the maneuver, the airplane drifted to the left of the runway centerline. The left wing subsequently impacted trees adjacent to the runway.

Damage

The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wing spar. After the collision, the airplane came to rest on the edge of the runway.

Additional Information

Neither the flight instructor nor the student reported any mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane prior to the accident.

Contributing factors

Causes

Performance/control parameters — Not attained/maintainedStudent pilot

Other contributing factors

Instructor/check pilot