Diamond DA-20-C1 N227RD

Summary

On 1 August 2008 at about 18:50 local time, a Diamond DA-20-C1 registered N227RD, operated by Falcon Aviation Academy, was involved in an accident near Peachtree City, Georgia, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 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

1 August 2008 at 18:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Peachtree City, Georgia, United States

Coordinates

33.3622, -84.5717

Aircraft

Diamond DA-20-C1

Registration

N227RD

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Falcon Aviation Academy

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Flight Test

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Peachtree City → Peachtree City

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA08LA156

2 people had minor injuries.

A partial loss of engine power for undetermined reasons.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Maintenance was performed to the airplane's rudder system and the operator requested a test flight. During the test flight the pilot noted no discrepancies with the airplane until the downwind to base turn; the engine would not produce full power. The pilot elected to perform a forced landing in an open field prior to the runway to avoid impacting trees that were in the flight path to the threshold. The terrain was full of debris, resulting in substantial damage to the airplane. The wreckage examination revealed no discrepancies with the airplane's flight control systems. The examination discovered that a check valve from the engine mechanical fuel pump return hose line back to the fuel tank was installed incorrectly (backwards). The engine was test run with the check valve installed both correctly and incorrectly. During both test phases, the engine accelerated normally without any hesitation or interruption in power. No discrepancies were noted that would have prevented the engine from producing power for normal flight operations.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.