Diamond DA20-C1 accident near Waskom, Texas, October 12, 2015
On October 12, 2015 at about 8:49 am local time, a 2004 Diamond DA20-C1, registered N165DC, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Waskom, Texas (Harrison County airport). It was a personal 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 pilot's decision to operate the airplane without the owner’s permission and his lack of preflight planning, which resulted a total loss of engine power due fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 12, 2015 · about 8:49 am local time
- Place
- Waskom, Texas · Harrison County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Diamond DA20-C1, built 2004
- Registration
- N165DC · no longer on the register · serial C0265
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot was conducting a cross-country flight in the airplane without the owner's permission. While en route, the pilot reported to air traffic controllers that the engine had lost power and that he did not think he would be able to glide to the destination airport. He also said that it was dark and that he could not see anything below him. The pilot made a forced landing in a field 6.9 miles east of his destination, which resulted in substantial damage to the airplane. No fuel was found in the fuel tanks.
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
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Miscellaneous › Intentional act › Stolen/unauthorized › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 6, 2015; 2,973 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,764 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental O-240-B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KASL Marshall TX at 8:30 am
- Destination: KASL Marshall TX
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 190° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 29.81 inHg
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.