Diamond Aircraft Ind INC DA-20 accident near Payson, Utah, December 2, 2016
On December 2, 2016 at about 8:07 pm local time, a 1999 Diamond Aircraft Ind INC DA-20, registered N992CT, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Payson, Utah. 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 improper in-flight fuel planning, which resulted in fuel exhaustion.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 2, 2016 · about 8:07 pm local time
- Place
- Payson, Utah · 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 C-1, built 1999
- Registration
- N992CT · no longer on the register · serial C0092
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The solo student pilot reported that, while on a cross-country flight, the weather deteriorated at the destination airport. He decided to complete a touch-and-go landing at an airport along the route and then return to the departure airport. The student pilot further reported that, when he began the flight back to his original point of departure, the airplane had about 3/4 tank of fuel remaining, and a headwind was present. About 10 to 15 nautical miles from the original departure airport, the fuel supply was exhausted, and the student pilot made a forced landing in a field. During the forced landing, the right wing struck a tree and was substantially damaged. The student pilot did not report any 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
- Other weather encounter during enroute
- Fuel exhaustion during enroute defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Student/instructed pilot
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tree(s) › Contributed to outcome
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 50 hours in all; 47 in this make and model; 46 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 21 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,720.7 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 24, 2016
- Maximum gross weight: 1,764 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-240-B (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CDC Cedar City UT at 6:22 pm
- Destination: U77 Spanish Fork UT
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.22 inHg
- Observation at 6:58 pm from KPVU, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on February 6, 2017. 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, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Accident Photos (Courtesy of FAA) | 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.
Other NTSB records under N992CT 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.