Diamond Aircraft Ind INC DA20-C1 accident near Jeffersonville, Indiana, July 6, 2023
On July 6, 2023 at about 12:24 pm local time, a 1999 Diamond Aircraft Ind INC DA20-C1, registered N988CT, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Jeffersonville, Indiana. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s improper fuel management, which resulted in fuel exhaustion and a total loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 6, 2023 · about 12:24 pm local time
- Place
- Jeffersonville, Indiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Diamond Aircraft Ind INC DA20-C1, built 1999
- Registration
- N988CT · no longer on the register · serial C0088
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor reported that, before the flight, he and his student inserted a calibrated wooden stick into the fuel tank to check the fuel quantity of the airplane and believed that it indicated just below ¾ tank, or about 16 gallons of fuel remaining. They completed the preflight inspection and proceeded with the flight to another airport for takeoff and landing practice. While at the other airport, they performed six circuits of the traffic pattern before proceeding back toward the departure airport. As they approached the airport, the flight instructor heard the engine speed decrease and initially thought his student had retarded the throttle, but she had not. The engine recovered briefly and then sputtered again. The flight instructor said he checked the mixture, master switch, ignition, and fuel pump settings, and the engine continued to have spurts of power. He surmised that they were experiencing a fuel issue and noted that the fuel gauge read empty. He notified air traffic control, and was cleared to land, but had insufficient altitude and executed a forced landing to a corn field. The airplane received substantial damage to the fuselage including separation of the empennage. Postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no usable fuel remained in the fuel tank. The flight instructor reported that he believed the time of day, weather conditions and lighting combined with an expectation bias, contributed to misreading of the fuel stick, which likely read below ½ tank before the flight. He also noted that he prepared a safety presentation about the event to present to flying club members and other aviation meetings. Based on the available information, the engine power loss was due to exhaustion of the airplane’s fuel supply.
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
- Fuel exhaustion during enroute defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Instructor/check pilot
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 940 hours in all; 101 in this make and model; 167 in the last 90 days; 69 in the last 30 days; 869 as pilot in command; 435 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 16 hours in all; 16 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 8 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,949 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 1, 2023
- Maximum gross weight: 1,770 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-240-B32B (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Flight Club 502 INC
The flight
- Departed from: LOU Louisville KY at 10:45 am
- Destination: LOU Louisville KY
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; a few clouds at 3,800 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 8:56 am from KSDF, 9 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KSDF 061256Z 25006KT 10SM FEW038 FEW080 FEW120 SCT180 BKN250 26/22 A2995 RMK AO2 CB DSNT E T02560217
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on October 26, 2023. 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.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | FAA Inspector Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | FAA Interview of Pilot | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Accident Photo | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
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.