Diamond DA 40 N8VT

Summary

On 12 September 2025 at about 03:30 local time, a Diamond DA 40 registered N8VT was involved in an accident near Rocky Ridge, Utah, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 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

12 September 2025 at 03:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Rocky Ridge, Utah, United States

Coordinates

39.9174, -111.8607

Aircraft

Diamond DA 40

Registration

N8VT

Category

Airplane

Year built

2005

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Spanish Fork → Nephi

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

WPR25LA278

3 people had minor injuries.

The flight instructor’s inadequate supervision and delayed remedial action during an unusual attitude recovery, which resulted in a descent into terrain.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor and student pilot were conducting a night visual flight rules training flight, which included a recovery from an unusual attitude. During the recovery maneuver, the student pilot became concerned about the airplane’s proximity to mountainous terrain. The flight instructor and student pilot then both focused their attention on the multi-function display (MFD) to confirm their position. While both pilots were observing the MFD the airplane entered a decent, which the instructor and student pilot both failed to notice until the terrain was illuminated by the landing light. The flight instructor then took control of the airplane; however, the airplane contacted the ground, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing and separation of the empennage. The flight instructor reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.