Diamond Aircraft Ind INC DA 40 accident near Roanoke, Virginia, July 21, 2023
On July 21, 2023 at about 2:40 pm local time, a 2003 Diamond Aircraft Ind INC DA 40, registered N524DS, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (aborted after touchdown) near Roanoke, Virginia (Roanoke-Blacksburg Rgnl/Woodru 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during the landing, and the flight instructor’s inadequate remedial action.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 21, 2023 · about 2:40 pm local time
- Place
- Roanoke, Virginia · Roanoke-Blacksburg Rgnl/Woodru · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Diamond Aircraft Ind INC DA 40, built 2003
- Registration
- N524DS · registry record · serial 40.260
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor and student pilot were practicing crosswind landings in the traffic pattern. On the first landing attempt, the student pilot crabbed into the wind and as the airplane was over the runway, he applied left aileron in order to straighten the airplane over centerline and the flight instructor called to perform a go around maneuver. While in the traffic pattern, the flight instructor explained that using the rudder was normal practice to straighten out the airplane instead of the aileron and to try again on the second landing. During the second landing attempt, the student applied left rudder to straighten out over runway centerline. Before the airplane touched down, he added more left rudder. Again, the flight instructor called to perform a go around maneuver, however, the wheels touched down and the airplane bounced to the left. The student pilot applied full engine power and the airplane veered to the left. The flight instructor took over the flight controls and attempted to correct the turn by applying right rudder, however the airplane continued to drift to the left. The airplane continued off the side of the runway and impacted the ground, resulting in the nose landing gear collapsing and the empennage partially separating from the airplane. The airplane slid and came to rest on a taxiway. The airplane incurred substantial damage to the empennage. After the accident, the flight instructor remarked that the student pilot might have had his foot on the left rudder, which may have been why the instructor's right rudder input was not sufficient. Furthermore, a Federal Aviation Administration inspector asked the student pilot if he released the left rudder when the flight instructor took control of the airplane and he noted that he was unsure, since the accident sequence happened so quickly. The flight instructor reported no 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
- Loss of control on ground during landing (aborted after touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Instructor/check pilot
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 324 hours in all; 303 in this make and model; 44 in the last 90 days; 32 in the last 30 days; 190 as pilot in command; 29 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,813.5 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 19, 2023; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,535 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-M1A (piston); 38,134 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24, 6,800 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 29.89 inHg
- Observation at 9:54 am from ROA, 1 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KROA 211354Z 25005KT 10SM SCT045 28/20 A2989 RMK AO2 SLP108 T02780200
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 2 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ERA23LA312.