Diamond Aircraft Ind INC DA 20 C1 accident near Milledgeville, Georgia, January 16, 2014
On January 16, 2014 at about 6:30 pm local time, a 2005 Diamond Aircraft Ind INC DA 20 C1, registered N353DC, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Milledgeville, Georgia (Baldwin County 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 pilots inadequate landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 16, 2014 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Milledgeville, Georgia · Baldwin County 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, built 2005
- Registration
- N353DC · no longer on the register · serial C0353
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the student pilot, while flying the final leg of the traffic pattern, during his solo flight, he noticed that the airplane was "too high," and pulled the power to idle. Then he noted that the airplane was "too fast" and applied back pressure to the control yoke. The airplane then ballooned and subsequently the student pilot added power to go around; however, the airplane impacted the runway in a nose down attitude, became airborne, impacted the runway again, the nose gear assembly collapsed, and the airplane came to rest in the dirt on the left side of the runway. The accident sequence resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. There were no reported preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student pilot
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 56 hours in all; 56 in this make and model; 56 in the last 90 days; 22 in the last 30 days; 6 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,981 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, December 30, 2013
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental Motors Inc. IO-240-B (piston); 4,503 hours total
- Operator: Falcon Aviation Academy
The flight
- Departed from: CCO Newnan GA at 4:30 pm
- Destination: MLJ Milledgeville GA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 28, 5,509 ft by 99 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point -11°F (-24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
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.
Other NTSB records under N353DC the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.