Diamond DA 40 NG N471BL

Summary

On 25 March 2022 at about 20:13 local time, a Diamond DA 40 NG registered N471BL, operated by Blue Line Aviation LLC, was involved in an accident near Smithfield, North Carolina, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

25 March 2022 at 20:13

Classification

Accident

Location

Smithfield, North Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Johnston Regional Airport (JNX)

Coordinates

35.5276, -78.3819

Aircraft

Diamond DA 40 NG

Registration

N471BL

Category

Airplane

Year built

2020

Engines

1

Operator

Blue Line Aviation LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA22LA169

2 people were seriously injured.

Maintenance personnel’s failure to set the correct engine timing after the replacement of a cylinder head and exhaust camshaft before the accident flight, which resulted in a total loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the flight instructor, shortly after takeoff, she heard a “weird” noise coming from the engine and noted a drop in engine rpm. The flight instructor directed the pilot receiving instruction to turn back toward the airport; however, the engine lost all power, and the airplane impacted trees about 1 mile from the departure end of the runway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wings, fuselage, and empennage. A postaccident examination of the engine revealed that the engine valvetrain was not timed correctly and that the misalignment resulted in a piston striking a valve. The valve head had separated and fallen into the cylinder, resulting in the total loss of engine power. Examination of the maintenance logbooks revealed that the cylinder head and exhaust camshaft had been replaced the day before the accident flight. Thus, it is likely that the engine’s timing was not set correctly after this maintenance.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.