History of the Flight
On 24 February 2016, at 09:40 a.m. local time, an instructor pilot and a student pilot departed from Nakhon Phanom Airport in a Diamond DA40 aircraft, registration HS-IAE, operated by the International Aviation College, Nakhon Phanom University. The flight was conducted under Visual Flight Rules with a planned route of Nakhon Phanom – Song Plueai – Sakon Nakhon – Nakhon Phanom. After returning to Nakhon Phanom Airport, the crew practiced a forced landing and takeoff before contacting the air traffic controller to proceed to a training area east of the airport at an altitude of approximately 3,000 feet.
In the training area, the instructor pilot demonstrated a Vertical S maneuver by reducing engine power and descending to 2,500 feet at a rate of 500 feet per minute. As the aircraft approached 2,500 feet, the instructor increased engine power to level off and climb back to 3,000 feet. However, engine power continued to decrease. The instructor moved the power lever forward and back, but the engine did not respond. The instructor declared an emergency (MAYDAY) and requested to return to the airport, turning left toward the final approach of runway 15. The aircraft did not reach the runway and made an emergency landing in a cassava plantation in Na Nai subdistrict, Phon Sawan district, Nakhon Phanom province, approximately 3 nautical miles from runway 15. The accident occurred at about 11:05 a.m.
Damage to Aircraft
The aircraft was completely destroyed. The propeller blades were damaged, the empennage was torn from the fuselage, and the nose landing gear broke and detached from the fuselage. The left wing tip was broken and deformed. The left main landing gear was twisted and deformed, and the right main landing gear was broken and separated from the fuselage.
Injuries to Persons
Both the instructor pilot and the student pilot were safe. No fatalities or injuries were reported.