Accident Summary
On 25 May 2020, at approximately 13:06 UTC, a Diamond DA20-C1 registered I-DADL crashed into the Tiber River near Roma Urbe Airport (LIRU) in Rome, Italy. The aircraft was destroyed. The two occupants were a flight instructor and a student pilot. The instructor sustained serious injuries and managed to exit the aircraft and reach the riverbank. The student pilot did not survive; the cause of death was attributed to the accident.
Aircraft and Crew Information
The Diamond DA20-C1 (serial number C0622) was a single-engine, low-wing, two-seat aircraft with fixed tricycle landing gear, powered by a Continental IO-240-B32B engine. It had accumulated approximately 1,079 flight hours. The airworthiness review certificate was valid until 22 October 2020. The last 50-hour maintenance was performed on 5 March 2020, and the most recent technical intervention (replacement of the starter relay) was on 14 May 2020.
The instructor, aged 30, held a CPL(A) issued by the Irish Aviation Authority, with ratings including ME IR (MPA), SEP (land), and FI. He had about 2,400 total flight hours, with approximately 200 hours on the DA20-C1, of which about 115 as an instructor. He had traveled several hundred kilometers by surface transport starting around 05:30 local time on the day of the accident, a journey lasting about six hours. Prior to the accident flight, he had conducted a one-hour dual training mission.
The student pilot, aged 22, held a solo flight authorization and was undergoing integrated ATPL(A) training. He had approximately 42 hours of dual instruction and 19 hours solo, all on the DA20-C1. His last flight was on 23 May 2020. He also held a valid VDS (ultralight) pilot certificate with about 16 flight hours on that type.
Accident Sequence
The aircraft departed Roma Urbe at 12:55 UTC for a VFR training flight consisting of traffic patterns and touch-and-go landings. After completing the second traffic pattern and touch-and-go, the aircraft was observed climbing before it descended and crashed into the Tiber River, where it sank. The instructor escaped and reached the shore. The wreckage was found submerged about 0.2 NM northwest of the threshold of Runway 16, at a depth of approximately 7 meters.
Meteorological and Performance Information
Meteorological conditions at the time included a temperature around 27 °C. Performance data from the flight manual indicated a climb rate of approximately 820 ft/min at best climb speed (68 KIAS) with flaps in takeoff configuration, assuming sea level. For a balked landing with flaps in landing configuration, the climb rate was about 417 ft/min at 52 KIAS, accounting for the missing wheel fairings.
Emergency Procedures
The flight manual's balked landing procedure specifies: throttle full, mixture full rich, wing flaps to takeoff position, and airspeed 58 KIAS. The engine failure after takeoff procedure includes setting 60 KIAS, throttle full, mixture full rich, alternate air open, fuel shut-off valve open, ignition both, and fuel pump on. A warning states that if adequate engine performance cannot be restored immediately, an emergency landing should be prepared, preferably straight ahead.