Diamond DA20 N458MA

Summary

On 14 June 2021 at about 16:30 local time, a Diamond DA20 registered N458MA, operated by American Aviation LLC, was involved in an accident near Matthews, Virginia, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

14 June 2021 at 16:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Matthews, Virginia, United States

Coordinates

37.3717, -76.2283

Aircraft

Diamond DA20

Registration

N458MA

Category

Airplane

Year built

2005

Engines

1

Operator

American Aviation LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Manassas → Tangier Island

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA21LA250

2 people had minor injuries.

The mechanic’s failure to properly secure the oil sump drain plug during a 100-hour maintenance inspection, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to oil starvation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Due to an active military operations area, the flight instructor and student pilot on a short cross-country instructional flight to an island were instructed by air traffic control to descend from 5,500 ft mean sea level (msl) to 2,500 ft msl. After the student pilot leveled the airplane at 2,500 ft msl, the engine shook violently and lost all power. The flight instructor took control of the airplane and realized that there was not enough altitude to glide to shore. The flight instructor then ditched the airplane near a fishing trawler where he and the student pilot were rescued. The wreckage was recovered about 2 weeks after the accident and examined at a recovery facility. Examination of the engine revealed that the oil sump drain plug was missing, and the Nos. 1 and 2 connecting rods were fractured in a manner consistent with oil starvation. Review of maintenance records revealed that the airplane’s most recent 100-hour inspection was completed 4 days and 9.3 operating hours before the accident. During an interview, the mechanic who performed the 100-hour inspection stated that he remembered draining the old oil, reinstalling the drain plug with a new gasket, torquing it per the maintenance manual, and securing it with safety wire. He did not remember anything abnormal or any interruptions during the work. Although the mechanic stated that he torqued and safety wired the drain plug, the findings of the investigation the accident suggest that the mechanic likely installed the plug finger-tight and forgot to secure it. Due to normal engine vibration, the plug unscrewed, and the engine oil drained out, which resulted in the total loss of engine power due to oil starvation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.