Diamond Aircraft Ind INC DA 20-C1 accident near Mount Sterling, Kentucky, March 6, 2010
On March 6, 2010 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Diamond Aircraft Ind INC DA 20-C1, registered N365DC, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Mount Sterling, Kentucky (Mount Sterling Airport). It was an instructional 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 student pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during a touch-and-go.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 6, 2010 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Mount Sterling, Kentucky · Mount Sterling Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Diamond Aircraft Ind INC DA 20-C1
- Registration
- N365DC · no longer on the register · serial C0462
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The accident flight was the student pilot’s first solo cross-country flight, and she planned to perform a touch-and-go before proceeding to the next intended destination. The landing proceeded uneventfully, but when the pilot applied engine power for takeoff, the airplane began turning to the left. The pilot attempted to correct by increasing right rudder, but the airplane continued left and departed the side of the runway. The airplane proceeded through the grass adjacent to the runway, across the taxiway, and into the grass again before the pilot decreased the engine power. As the airplane slowed, the nose landing gear dug into the ground before it separated, resulting in substantial damage to the firewall area. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions of the airplane and that the wind velocity at the time of the accident was 4 knots.
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 control on ground during takeoff defining event
- Runway excursion during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 27 hours in all; 25 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 811 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, February 9, 2010
- Maximum gross weight: 1,764 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Teledyne Continental Motors IO-240-B (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Air 51 Richmond LLC
The flight
- Departed from: IOB Mount Sterling KY at 8:00 pm
- Destination: LOZ London KY
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 03, 5,002 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.34 inHg
- Observation at 6:54 pm from LEX, 29 miles away
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.