Diamond Aircraft Industries DA20-C1 accident near Pleasanton, Texas, September 21, 2005
On September 21, 2005 at about 4:32 pm local time, a Diamond Aircraft Industries DA20-C1, registered N63PA, was destroyed in an accident near Pleasanton, Texas. 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
The flight instructor's failure to maintain clearance from an unmarked transmission line. A contributing factor was the low altitude flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 21, 2005 · about 4:32 pm local time
- Place
- Pleasanton, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Diamond Aircraft Industries DA20-C1
- Registration
- N63PA · registry record · serial C0269
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 5,406-hour flight instructor was demonstrating a forced landing by simulating a loss of engine power when the single-engine airplane struck unmarked power lines approximately 30 feet above the ground. The training flight was the second flight for the student, who was a military officer enrolled in a government undergraduate flight training program. There were no reported witnesses to the accident, and no distress calls were received from the pilot. A postimpact fire consumed the composite airframe. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and there were no obstructions to visibility at the time of the accident. Flight control continuity was established, and no mechanical anomalies or overdue inspections were noted with the engine or the airframe.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,406 hours in all
- Last flight review: August 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
Dual student
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 397 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 2005; 59.7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,764 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Diamond Aircraft DA20-C1 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Check-Six Aviation, Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: SSF San Antonio TX at 3:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 0 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from SSF, 21 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.