Diamond DA 40 N453DS

Summary

On 21 December 2023 at about 23:53 local time, a Diamond DA 40 registered N453DS, operated by 453DS Aircraft Leasing LLC, was involved in an accident near Spanish Fork, Utah, 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

21 December 2023 at 23:53

Classification

Accident

Location

Spanish Fork, Utah, United States

Nearest airport

Spanish Fork Municipal Airport (SPK)

Coordinates

40.1412, -111.6624

Aircraft

Diamond DA 40

Registration

N453DS

Category

Airplane

Year built

2011

Engines

1

Operator

453DS Aircraft Leasing LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR24LA064

Nobody was injured.

Maintenance personnel’s improper installation of the left magneto, which resulted in oil starvation to the engine and a subsequent total loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was conducting a local flight when he heard a loud noise and saw objects eject from the engine area followed by a total loss of power. The pilot saw that the oil pressure had dropped to zero and the oil pressure alarm was sounding. He performed an emergency engine shutdown and made a forced landing at a nearby airport. During the descent smoke entered the cockpit, likely due to an inflight fire. During the landing roll, the nose gear collapsed as the airplane came to a stop on the runway. The two occupants egressed the airplane unassisted. The inflight fire thermally damaged the airframe from the engine back to the aft end of the cockpit. Postaccident examination revealed the left magneto mounting hardware had backed out on the studs, which allowed the magneto to separate from the mounting pad on the accessory case. The open magneto mounting pad allowed the engine oil to escape until the oil sump was depleted of oil. The engine damage that consisted of multiple large fractures to the engine cases, and extensive damage to the valvetrain and the rotating and reciprocating group, was consistent with lubrication deprivation. The magneto was installed on the engine the day before the accident and had accumulated about 5.6 hours of flight time between the installation and the accident. The pilot reported the oil level at preflight inspection to be just above the 6-quart line and did not observe the oil pressure out of the normal range during the flight before hearing the loud noise.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.