What happened
On September 15, 2019, at approximately 16:50 EDT, a Diamond DA40, registration N292RA, was performing a local flight from Chesapeake Regional Airport (CPK) in Norfolk, Virginia. The pilot had successfully completed three touch-and-go landings before initiating a fourth takeoff.
As the aircraft climbed to an altitude of 300 feet, the pilot heard a noise coming from beneath the engine cowling, followed by a near complete loss of engine thrust. Unable to maintain altitude and with no remaining runway, the pilot performed a forced landing into a nearby soybean field. The aircraft's nose wheel struck a drainage ditch, causing the plane to spin approximately 90 degrees to the right. The pilot sustained one minor injury and was not killed in the accident.
The investigation
Post-accident inspections of the aircraft revealed damage to the lower engine cowling and the nose landing gear. The fuselage structure behind the nose gear also sustained substantial damage, and two of the three propeller blades had separated near the spinner.
Data retrieved from the electronic engine control unit showed an uncommanded decrease in induction air boost pressure immediately before the loss of power. A mechanical examination of the engine found that the flexible induction coupling, which connects the intercooler to the engine induction inlet, had backed off. While the two clamps securing the coupling were intact and safety wired, they were loose enough that the induction tube could be inserted into the coupling without loosening the clamps.
Maintenance records indicated that this flexible induction coupling and its associated clamps had been replaced during a 100-hour inspection on August 21, 2019, approximately 15 flight hours before the accident.