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Accidents · NTSB CEN21FA252 · Final report

Diamond Aircraft Ind INC DA 40 NG accident near Darlington, Indiana, June 6, 2021

On June 6, 2021 at about 2:20 pm local time, a 2019 Diamond Aircraft Ind INC DA 40 NG, registered N853L, was destroyed in an accident during maneuvering near Darlington, Indiana. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).

The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged

A loss of control while practicing an aerodynamic stall, which resulted in a spin and impact with terrain.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
June 6, 2021 · about 2:20 pm local time
Place
Darlington, Indiana · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
2 people were killed.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Diamond Aircraft Ind INC DA 40 NG, built 2019
Registration
N853L · no longer on the register · serial 40.NC055
Damage
Destroyed
Flight
Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

The flight instructor and student pilot were conducting a training flight. automatic dependent surveillance – broadcast (ADS-B) and onboard data revealed heading, engine power, and altitude changes consistent with maneuvering. Just before the accident, the airplane entered a power-off stall from an altitude of about 4,000 ft mean sea level (msl). The right wing dropped, the pitch attitude decreased, and the airplane entered a descent consistent with a spin. Ground scars and the orientation of the wreckage were consistent with an impact with terrain in a slight right-wing-low, nose-down attitude. The wreckage was highly fragmented with scattered debris that extended for about 75 yards. There were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation of the airplane. Review of engine data indicated nominal engine performance before the accident. The airplane was not approved for spin maneuvers; however, the airplane’s flight manual provided a recovery procedure in the event of an unintentional spin. The circumstances of the accident are consistent with an inadvertent spin and loss of control while practicing an aerodynamic stall. Because the airplane was not approved for intentional spins, it is unlikely that the flight instructor had ever experienced a spin in the accident airplane make/model and was therefore likely unfamiliar with its spin and recovery characteristics.

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

  1. Aerodynamic stall/spin during maneuvering defining event

The NTSB's findings

  • Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Total experience › Flight crew
  • Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Flight crew

Flight instructor

  • Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
  • Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
  • Flight time: 329 hours in all; 312.2 in this make and model; 79.3 in the last 90 days; 51.6 in the last 30 days; 251.9 as pilot in command; 44 on instruments
  • Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
  • Seat: rgt
  • Injury: fatal

Dual student

  • Flight time: 16 hours in all; 16 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days
  • Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
  • Seat: left
  • Injury: fatal

The aircraft

  • Airframe total time: 1,432.5 hours
  • Last inspection: annual inspection, May 25, 2021
  • Seats: 5
  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Engine: Austro E4-A (piston); 0 hours total

The flight

  • Departed from: KIND Indianapolis IN
  • Flight plan: none

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Wind: from 180° at 10 knots
  • Visibility: 10 statute miles
  • Sky: scat at 4,500 ft
  • Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
  • Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
  • Observation at 10:15 am from KCFJ

Weather report (METAR): KCFJ 061415Z AUTO 18010KT 10SM SCT045 SCT090 24/17 A3005 RMK AO2 T0238017

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Flight crew2

Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report

14 documents, released by the NTSB on April 28, 2022. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.

The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.

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.