Diamond DA20-C1 N373AM

Summary

On 15 February 2025 at about 14:30 local time, a Diamond DA20-C1 registered N373AM, operated by KA Holdings LLC, was involved in an accident near Culpeper, Virginia, United States. One person was 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

15 February 2025 at 14:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Culpeper, Virginia, United States

Nearest airport

Culpeper Rgnl (CJR)

Coordinates

38.5310, -77.8555

Aircraft

Diamond DA20-C1

Registration

N373AM

Category

Airplane

Year built

2006

Engines

1

Operator

KA Holdings LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Manassas → Culpepper

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA25LA133

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control of the airplane during the takeoff roll, resulting in a runway excursion.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Following an uneventful flight and taxi back to the runway, the student pilot reported that when he applied takeoff power, the airplane began to veer to the left. He applied right rudder, but the control input was ineffective. He then reduced the power to idle and applied both brakes, but the airplane exited the left side of the runway and came to rest in a drainage ditch. The pilot was uninjured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and empennage. Postaccident examination by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the flight controls, braking system, or the nose wheel that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.