Diamond Aircraft Ind INC DA 40 NG accident near Leesburg, Florida, September 4, 2026
On September 4, 2026 at about 12:10 pm local time, a Diamond Aircraft Ind INC DA 40 NG, registered N686MF, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Leesburg, Florida (Leesburg Intl 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The instructor’s delayed remedial action during an aborted landing, which resulted in a loss of airplane control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 4, 2026 · about 12:10 pm local time · cases in 2026
- Place
- Leesburg, Florida · Leesburg Intl · cases near this airport · 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 NG
- Registration
- N686MF · registry record · serial 40.NC371
- 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 the student pilot were practicing touch-and-go landings. According to the instructor, the student landed flat and bounced. The landing had enough force that the airplane ballooned back into the air and began to veer to the right of the runway centerline. The instructor told the student to use full power and abort the landing. The student only applied 30 to 50% power and the airplane continued to veer to the right. The instructor told the instructor to again use full power, but it was too late and the airplane veered off the right side of the runway, hit a bump, and nosed over into the grass resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage. The instructor reported that there were no mechanical deficiencies of the airplane that contributed to the accident, and that he should have taken control from the student sooner to prevent the airplane from going off the runway.
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 (aborted after touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Instructor/check pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,331.7 hours in all; 90 in this make and model; 93 in the last 90 days; 46.8 in the last 30 days; 242.4 as pilot in command; 89.7 on instruments
- Last flight review: February 6, 2026
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 169.2 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 27, 2026
- Maximum gross weight: 2,888 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Austro AE300 (piston); 169 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 13, 6,300 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 29.99 inHg
- Observation at 8:00 am from LEE
Weather report (METAR): METAR KLEE 041153Z 15003KT 10SM CLR 27/24 A2999 RMK AO2 SLP155 70001 T02670244 10267 20256 53010
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check at the NTSB.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N686MF on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Engine: Austro AE300 · as the NTSB recorded it
- Leesburg International · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Florida 6,111 since 1982 · 989 in the last ten years
- Florida 21,712 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA26LA330.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.