What happened
On April 24, 2020, at approximately 16:35 local time, a Diamond DA 40 NG, registration HB-SGD, departed from Geneva Airport (LSGG) bound for Zurich (LSZH). The flight was being conducted under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) for private purposes. Shortly after the aircraft climbed from runway 04, the pilot experienced a significant loss of engine power. Simultaneously, alarms within the engine control unit were activated.
In response to the engine malfunction, the pilot executed a rapid left-hand turn to return to the airfield. The aircraft successfully landed on runway 22 without further incident.
The investigation
The Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board (SUST) opened an investigation into the event to determine the nature of the engine failure and the activation of the engine control unit alarms. At the time of this preliminary report, the aircraft remained intact with no damage reported to the airframe or surrounding property. There were no injuries to the pilot or any third parties.