Piper PA-42-720 accident near Konigstein, De, January 19, 2009
On January 19, 2009 at about 11:40 am local time, a Piper PA-42-720, registered DIDIA, was destroyed in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Konigstein. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under non-U.S. private rules. 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
This is under the jurisdiction and control of the German Government.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 19, 2009 · about 11:40 am local time
- Place
- Konigstein, De · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-42-720 · all PA-42-720s on the register
- Registration
- DIDIA · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · non-U.S. private rules
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On January 19, 2009, at 1140 coordinated universal time (1240 central European Time), a Piper Aircraft Corporation PA-42-720, German registered D-IDIA, owned by HELI Flight Flugschule Flugbetrieb GmbH, was destroyed when it impacted terrain under unknown circumstances near Konigstein, Hessen, Germany. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The pilot was fatally injured. The flight originated from Frankfurt/Main, Germany, and was en route to Bad Nauheim, Germany. The German investigators reported that the airplane was destroyed when it flew "into terrain in bad weather." The accident investigation is under the jurisdiction and control of the German government. This report is for informational purposes only and contains only information released by or obtained from the German government or German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation. Further information pertaining to this accident may be obtained from: German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Investigation Bundesstelle fuer Flugunfalluntersuchung (BFU) Hermann-Blenk Strasse 16 38108 Braunschweig Germany
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during enroute (cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Other authority investigated
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Pratt And Whitney Canada (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt And Whitney Canada (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Frankfurt/Main
- Destination: Bad Nauheim
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 700 ft
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.34 inHg
- Observation at 12:39 pm from ETOU
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN09WA138.