Diamond DA20 accident near Pueblo, Colorado, August 7, 2019
On August 7, 2019 at about 2:10 pm local time, a 2008 Diamond DA20, registered N979DA, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach near Pueblo, Colorado (Pueblo Memorial 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 pilot's failure to maintain the runway heading during an attempted aborted landing, which resulted in a runway excursion onto rough terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 7, 2019 · about 2:10 pm local time
- Place
- Pueblo, Colorado · Pueblo Memorial · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Diamond DA20 C1, built 2008
- Registration
- N979DA · registry record · serial C0486
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot reported that, after being endorsed for his first solo flight, he conducted three approaches and landings. During the third approach, the airplane's nose yawed right, and he applied left rudder to correct but was unsuccessful. When the airplane was about 15 ft above ground level, the student aborted the landing and applied full engine power, but the airplane continued to descend while yawing right. The airplane landed on the runway with the nose oriented right of the runway heading, exited the runway, encountered rough terrain, and then stopped. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the tail and empennage. The student reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions 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 in flight during approach defining event
- Attempted remediation/recovery during approach (VFR go-around)
- Abnormal runway contact during landing (aborted after touchdown)
- Runway excursion during landing (aborted after touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Heading/course › Not attained/maintained
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Rough terrain › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 18.3 hours in all; 17.7 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,528.9 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 2, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 1,764 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-240-B (piston); 131 hours total
- Operator: Doss Aviation Inc
The flight
- Departed from: PUB Pueblo CO at 1:55 pm
- Destination: PUB Pueblo CO
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 08L, 4,690 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 2:16 pm from KPUB
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 December 5, 2019. 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 | Photo | PDF, 1 page | 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.