Diamond Aircraft Industries DA-20-C1 incident near Pueblo, Colorado, March 6, 2007
On March 6, 2007 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Diamond Aircraft Industries DA-20-C1, registered N921DA, was involved in an incident near Pueblo, Colorado (Pueblo Memorial airport). 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 failure of the horizontal stabilizer forward bracket bolts due to insufficent preload during factory installation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 6, 2007 · about 4:00 pm local time
- Place
- Pueblo, Colorado · Pueblo Memorial · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Diamond Aircraft Industries DA-20-C1
- Registration
- N921DA · registry record · serial C0395
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor reported that abnormal nose-up trim was required while in flight. The flight concluded without additional or further incidence. After the training flight a 2 to 3-inch gap between the horizontal and vertical stabilizer was noted. Examination of the airplane revealed two bolts, securing the front horizontal stabilizer mounting bracket to the vertical stabilizer, had failed. Examination of the bolts revealed failure due to undetected fatigue. On the failed bolts, the sizes of the final overstress regions were very small indicating that peak and mean loads on the bolts were also small. This would indicate that only a small or marginal preload was present on the bolts. Insufficient preload could be the result of low installation torque or the loss of preload during service. The off center wear on the washers suggests that the fastened surfaces may not have been in alignment allowing the installation preload to quickly degrade.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,250 hours in all; 600 in this make and model; 60 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 1,200 as pilot in command; 950 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 58 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 14 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 189 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 1, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 1,764 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Teledyne Continental IO-240-B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KPUB Pueblo CO at 3:00 pm
- Destination: KPUB Pueblo CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26L, 4,073 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 7°F (-14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.14 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from KPUB, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.