Diamond Aircraft Ind INC DA 20 C1 accident near Pueblo, Colorado, June 10, 2015
On June 10, 2015 at about 9:38 pm local time, a 2006 Diamond Aircraft Ind INC DA 20 C1, registered N919DA, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Pueblo, Colorado (Pueblo Memorial airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot’s decision to continue the approach and landing despite recognizing that the wind speed was above the published limit for solo flight, which resulted in a porpoised landing. Contributing to the accident was the failure of the flight instructor and supervisor of flying to direct the student to go around or divert.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 10, 2015 · about 9:38 pm local time
- Place
- Pueblo, Colorado · Pueblo Memorial · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Diamond Aircraft Ind INC DA 20 C1, built 2006
- Registration
- N919DA · registry record · serial C0393
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was flying the second of four required cross-country solo flights for his training syllabus. About 53 minutes before the accident, the supervisor of flying (SOF) directed the student to return to his home airport due to convective activity south and west of the airport. The airport tower controller cleared the flight to land, and, about 1 minute before the accident, reported that the wind was 200 degrees at 20 knots, which was the published wind limit for solo flight. As the student turned the airplane from the base to final legs in the airport traffic pattern, the controller reported that the wind had increased to 40 knots due to a thunderstorm gust front. The student reported that he chose to continue the approach and landing despite recognizing that the wind speed was above the published limit for solo flight because he believed that the SOF and an airborne flight instructor, who had been advising him throughout the approach, would continue to advise him until landing. He added that he thought that he was expected to land unless specifically told to go around or divert. The student was also concerned about the thunderstorm approaching the airport from the southwest and believed the better option was to attempt the landing rather than go around and risk entering the weather. As the student landed the airplane, it porpoised multiple times before sliding to a stop. Despite the high wind and thunderstorm conditions, neither the SOF nor the flight instructor directed the student to go around or divert to another airport. The flight instructor reported that he was overly concerned with distracting the student while he was on final, and the SOF had left the step desk area to walk outside and evaluate the weather. The SOF was using an on-line, predictive weather service to assist with launch, recall, and divert decisions. As convective activity increased south and west of the airport during the hour leading up to the accident, the storms moved northeast more rapidly than forecast, which led to the SOF's late recall of the student.
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
- Hard landing during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Student/instructed pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › High wind › Effect on operation
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Flt operations/dispatcher
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Instructor/check pilot
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 24 hours in all; 24 in this make and model; 24 in the last 90 days; 23 in the last 30 days; 5 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 8, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,148 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 29, 2015; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,764 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-240-B/1004 (piston); 2,044 hours total
- Operator: Doss Aviation INC
The flight
- Departed from: LAA Lamar CO at 8:45 pm
- Destination: PUB Pueblo CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 17, 8,310 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 30 knots, gusting 39
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.82 inHg
- Observation at 9:37 pm from KPUB, 1 miles away
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.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.