Pilot Debrief

DIAMOND AIRCRAFT IND INC DA 40 near Spanish Fork, UT — 2023-12-21

Final reportWPR24LA064
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Date
2023-12-21
Location
Spanish Fork, UT, USA
Airport
SPK
Aircraft
DIAMOND AIRCRAFT IND INC DA 40
Registration
N453DS
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0

Probable cause

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.

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.

NTSB coding

View NTSB final report

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