Diamond DA42 N906ER

Summary

On 9 August 2021 at about 17:35 local time, a Diamond DA42 registered N906ER, operated by Academy of Aviation, was involved in an accident near Hiddenite, North Carolina, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

9 August 2021 at 17:35

Classification

Accident

Location

Hiddenite, North Carolina, United States

Coordinates

35.9449, -81.0800

Aircraft

Diamond DA42

Registration

N906ER

Category

Airplane

Year built

2007

Engines

2

Operator

Academy of Aviation

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

North Wilkesboro → Gastonia

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA21LA322

Nobody was injured.

The flight instructor’s inability to stop the descent following a practice emergency descent for reasons that could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor and private pilot working towards a multiengine rating reported that during a practice single-engine emergency descent, they received a primary flight display data failure. The student attempted to recover from the rapid descent and despite both of their efforts to apply back pressure on the flight controls, they could not arrest the descent. The flight instructor took over the flight controls and restored power to the engine that had been intentionally shut down; however, he believed that neither engine was producing full power. The descent continued despite their efforts to pull back on the flight controls. An off-airport landing was made in an open field. Postaccident examination and tests of the airplane’s flight control system revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures. Flight control continuity and elevator trim continuity was confirmed, and the full range of movement was observed for all controls. The variable elevator stop system was observed to function without abnormalities when tested. A National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) airplane performance study found that a rapid descent was entered. However, the data revealed that throughout the loss of altitude in the final minutes of the flight, the rate of descent was arrested, and pitch attitude increased in the final minute of flight before decreasing again. The airspeed throughout the descent likely remained above the aerodynamic stall speed. The investigation was unable to determine any reason why the pilots were unable to recover from the emergency descent. Although the airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing, the airplane’s nose section, cockpit, fuselage, and empennage sustained minimal damage. The lack of damage to the airplane and an NTSB airplane performance study indicated that the airplane’s pitch likely remained somewhat controllable throughout the descent. The elevator trim position was found slightly nose forward, and neither pilot adjusted the trim wheel to relieve control pressure during their attempts to arrest their descent. It is possible that their lack of action in adjusting the trim wheel contributed to the sensation that they could not increase the pitch of the airplane. The autopilot circuit breaker had been pulled and collared prior to the flight, which also deactivated the electric elevator trim, thus the electric trim did not contribute to the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.