Diamond Aircraft Ind INC DA20-C1 accident near Tampa, Florida, March 26, 2021
On March 26, 2021 at about 8:00 pm local time, a 2004 Diamond Aircraft Ind INC DA20-C1, registered N392DC, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Tampa, Florida (Tampa Executive 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 pilot’s improper recovery from a bounced landing, which resulted in a subsequent hard landing and a nose landing gear collapse.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 26, 2021 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Tampa, Florida · Tampa Executive 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 DA20-C1, built 2004
- Registration
- N392DC · registry record · serial C0292
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, after the landing touchdown, the airplane started to “porpoise” on the runway and on the third bounce the nose landing gear collapsed. Subsequently, the propeller and fuselage impacted the runway and the airplane skidded to a stop. The airplane’s firewall and fuselage sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported, and a postaccident examination corroborated that, there were no preaccident 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 defining event
- Abnormal runway contact during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 214 hours in all; 5 in this make and model; 55 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 139 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,177 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 1, 2021; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,660 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-240-B (piston); 890 hours total
- Operator: Superior Aviation Gateway LLC
The flight
- Departed from: VDF Tampa FL at 7:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 18, 3,219 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 10 knots, gusting 4
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; a few clouds at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:35 pm from VDF
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on August 11, 2021. 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 | Memorandum for Record - FAA Inspector Observations | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Photo Array | 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.