Diamond DA20-C1 N544KC

Summary

On 19 September 2025 at about 17:56 local time, a Diamond DA20-C1 registered N544KC, operated by Indiana State University, was involved in an accident near Terre Haute, Indiana, 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

19 September 2025 at 17:56

Classification

Accident

Location

Terre Haute, Indiana, United States

Nearest airport

Terre Haute Regional Airport (HUF)

Coordinates

39.4506, -87.3070

Aircraft

Diamond DA20-C1

Registration

N544KC

Category

Airplane

Year built

2009

Engines

1

Operator

Indiana State University

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Terra Haute → Terra Haute

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN25LA392

Nobody was injured.

The failure of the nose landing gear strut and associated nosewheel separation during takeoff.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor and pilot-receiving-instruction were conducting an instructional flight when the nosewheel separated from the nose landing gear strut during takeoff. The flightcrew reported that the takeoff was normal and that there was no indication that the nosewheel had separated from the airplane. However, after the nosewheel was located on the runway, the flight instructor received a phone call from the airplane operator and then via subsequent radio calls over the operator dispatch frequency it was determined that the separated nosewheel was likely from their airplane. Then the airplane operator and airport tower controller each visually confirmed that the nosewheel was indeed missing from the airplane. During the subsequent landing, the nose landing gear strut collapsed aft when it contacted the runway. The composite fuselage structure sustained multiple cracks, the nose landing gear box delaminated, and the firewall delaminated from the fuselage during the landing. The lower portion of the nose landing gear strut welded assembly terminates with a threaded stud where a castellated nut and cotter pin secure the nosewheel fork assembly to the strut pivot. A postaccident examination determined that the threaded stud fractured which allowed the nosewheel fork to separate from the strut pivot. The castellated nut and cotter pin remained installed to the threaded portion of the fractured stud. In January 2023, the airplane manufacturer issued Service Information Letter (SIL) No. SIL20C1-014 to address cracks at the top of the nose landing gear strut pivot and/or at the top of the threaded stud. Additionally, the airplane manufacturer cautioned that a single hard landing may severely reduce the service life of the nose landing gear strut, and that improper assembly of the nose landing gear could result in cracking at the threaded stud which may result in the separation of the nosewheel fork assembly. The airplane manufacturer recommended a thorough examination of the nose landing gear strut pivot and threaded stud every 100 hours in accordance with the airframe maintenance manual instructions. The airplane manufacturer further stipulated that it was imperative that “all suspected hard landings are reported and the airplane inspected.” According to a postaccident review of maintenance documentation, there were no cracks observed on the nose landing gear strut when it was last examined during a 100-hour examination completed about 30.7 flight hours before the accident flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.