Diamond DA 20 C1 N309EF
24 April 2015 · Van Nuys, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 24 April 2015 at about 19:00 local time, a Diamond DA 20 C1 registered N309EF, operated by Amval LLC, was involved in an accident near Van Nuys, California, United States. 4 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was slightly damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 19:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Van Nuys, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Van Nuys (VNY)
- Coordinates
- 34.2061, -118.4897
- Aircraft
- Diamond DA 20 C1
- Registration
- N309EF
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 2004
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Amval LLC
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Van Nuys → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Minor
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- WPR15LA154
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Probable cause
Both pilots' failure to see and avoid each other, which resulted in an on-ground collision while taxiing. Contributing to the accident was the ground controller's failure to notify either pilot about the presence of the other airplane on the taxiway.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
A Cessna 150M and a Diamond DA20 collided on the ground during taxi operations. The student pilot of the Diamond received clearance from the ground controller to taxi to the run-up area for runway 16R via taxiway A1. The Diamond student reported that he stopped and looked in both directions before slowly proceeding left onto taxiway A (not A1 as instructed), at which point he observed the Cessna moving to his left around a jet on taxiway A and approaching his position. The Diamond student stopped to see what the Cessna pilot was going to do, and his airplane was then struck by the Cessna. The Cessna pilot reported that, while taxiing on taxiway A as he approached A1, he observed an airplane at his 10-o'clock position, which appeared to be entering his path. The Cessna pilot applied the brakes but was unable to avoid striking the Diamond. The Diamond sustained damage to both propeller blades, and the Cessna sustained substantial damage to the leading edge of the left wing. A review of airport surveillance video showed the Cessna taxiing on taxiway A and converging with the Diamond before the collision. The surveillance video and on-site documentation of the area did not reveal any obstructions that would have prevented the pilots from seeing and avoiding the other airplane before the collision. Review of radio transmissions revealed that both pilots received and acknowledged clearance instructions from ground control; however, neither pilot was given information about the other aircraft's position on the taxiway. Seventeen seconds before the collision occurred, the ground controller began issuing instructions to another aircraft pilot; this transmission continued as the collision occurred. It is likely that the ground controller's attention was diverted to issuing instructions to the other aircraft pilot, which led to his failure to notify the accident pilots about the presence of the other airplane on the taxiway.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diamond DA 20 C1 C1 | N309EF | Amval LLC | Minor |
| Cessna 150M M | N6211K | Continental Aviation Inc | Substantial |
Other Diamond DA-20 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Jun 2015 | Diamond DA 20 C1 | Pueblo, Colorado, United States | Doss Aviation Inc | No injuries | - |
| 17 Jun 2015 | Diamond DA 20 C1 | Moreland, Georgia, United States | Falcon Aviation Academy | No injuries | - |
| 27 Apr 2015 | Diamond DA 20 C1 | Sylacauga, Alabama, United States | Falcon Aviation Academy | No injuries | - |
| 19 Sep 2015 | Diamond DA 20 C1 | Sanford, North Carolina, United States | Dillions Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 24 Jun 2015 | Diamond DA 20 C1 | Salisbury, Maryland, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 19 Jan 2015 | Diamond DA 20 C1 | Shipshewana, Indiana, United States | New Horizons Aviation Inc | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Dec 2015 | Boeing 737 76N | San Diego, California, United States | Southwest Airlines Co | Serious injuries | - |
| 9 Jun 2015 | Grumman Acft Eng Cor-Schweizer G 164A | Bakersfield, California, United States | Nelson Kenneth D | No injuries | - |
| 1 Feb 2015 | Robinson R44 II | Calexico, California, United States | John Reed Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 14 Apr 2015 | Robert C Hanson PITTS S2E | Lebec, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 17 Apr 2015 | Piper PA 18-150 | La Quinta, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 18 Apr 2015 | Cessna 206H | Redding, California, United States | McClelland Aviation Inc | Fatal | 1 |