Diamond Aircraft Industries KATANA DA-20-A1 accident near Vacaville, California, July 22, 1996
On July 22, 1996 at about 6:45 pm local time, a Diamond Aircraft Industries KATANA DA-20-A1, registered N236BR, was substantially damaged in an accident near Vacaville, California. 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
improper planning/decision by the instructor pilot, which resulted in subsequent fuel exhaustion and loss of engine power, due to an inadequate supply of fuel.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 22, 1996 · about 6:45 pm local time
- Place
- Vacaville, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Diamond Aircraft Industries KATANA DA-20-A1 KATANA DA-
- Registration
- N236BR · no longer on the register · serial 10036
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor (CFI) and a rated pilot (student) were on a dual instructional flight and were returning from the practice area to the airport. About 4 miles from the airport, the engine lost power. The CFI took control of the airplane. He turned the fuel pump on, and the engine started and ran for about 2 minutes, then lost power again. The CFI made a forced landing on an unoccupied street. During the landing, the airplane collided with a street sign and a curbing. An FAA inspector reported the airplane was out of fuel. The inspector further stated that the student had questioned the instructor about the fuel quantity before the flight.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 730 hours in all; 199 in this make and model; 156 in the last 90 days; 54 in the last 30 days; 622 as pilot in command; 318 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 655 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 13, 1996; 85 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,609 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 045 CA at 5:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:55 pm from KSU
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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.