Diamond DA 20-A1 N278PL
10 August 1997 · Slatington, Pennsylvania, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 10 August 1997 at about 02:58 local time, a Diamond DA 20-A1 registered N278PL was involved in an accident near Slatington, Pennsylvania, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured, one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 02:58
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Slatington, Pennsylvania, United States
- Nearest airport
- Slatington (69N)
- Coordinates
- 40.7495, -75.6103
- Aircraft
- Diamond DA 20-A1
- Registration
- N278PL
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- N. Myrtle Beach → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Night/Bright
- NTSB number
- IAD97LA107
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Probable cause
The pilot's inadequate preflight planning/ preparation which resulted in fuel exhaustion.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot descended from 3,500 feet MSL to 1,500 feet, circled the airport for 15 minutes as he was unable to activate the runway lights. He decided to climb to 2,500 feet, and he diverted to another airport, but shortly thereafter, the engine lost power. During the forced landing to a lighted, golf course, the airplane collided with a telephone pole, and descended to the ground. He had refueled the airplane with 19.4 gallons. According to the FAA, examination of the wreckage revealed 4 ounces of fuel in the fuel tanks, and the carburetor was empty. The total capacity of the fuel tanks was 20.3 gallons, the useable fuel was 19.5 gallons, and the fuel consumption was 3.8 gallons per hour. The flight had been airborne for over 4 hours 43 minutes. The pilot said there was no mechanical malfunction with the airplane, and the accident could have been prevented if proper reserve, diversion, and emergency procedures were followed. A functional test of the airport lights was performed after the accident, and they operated satisfactory. According to the FAA, this was the pilot's first flight to this airport.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Diamond DA-20 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Apr 1997 | Diamond DA 20-A1 | Hollywood, Florida, United States | Pelican Airways | No injuries | - |
| 7 Sep 1997 | Diamond DA 20-A1 | Concord, North Carolina, United States | Lancaster Aviation, Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 18 Aug 1998 | Diamond DA-20-A1 | Woodland, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 1 Oct 1998 | Diamond DA 20-A1 | Tomball, Texas, United States | Flight Academy International | No injuries | - |
| 27 Mar 1999 | Diamond DA 20-A1 | Coyote, New Mexico, United States | The Global Group | Minor injuries | - |
| 11 Nov 1999 | Diamond DA 20-A1 | Concord, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Jan 1997 | Piper PA-28R-200 | Thorndale, Pennsylvania, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 24 Jan 1997 | Cessna 650 | Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 2 Feb 1997 | Berry VANS RV-4 | York, Pennsylvania, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 5 Mar 1997 | Aerospatiale AS-355F | Washington, Pennsylvania, United States | Corporate Jets, Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 30 Mar 1997 | Lowe SUPER KOALA | Perry Township, Pennsylvania, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 15 Apr 1997 | Piper PA-28-161 | Butler, Pennsylvania, United States | - | No injuries | - |