Diamond Aircraft Industries DA20-C1 accident near La Pine, Oregon, June 25, 2007
On June 25, 2007 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Diamond Aircraft Industries DA20-C1, registered N363M, was destroyed in an accident near La Pine, Oregon. 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 pilot's selection of an unsuitable landing site for a precautionary landing. Contributing factors were the pilot's failure to refuel the airplane, the low fuel level, and trees.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 25, 2007 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- La Pine, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Diamond Aircraft Industries DA20-C1
- Registration
- N363M · registry record · serial C0328
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot reported that he departed on a cross-country, solo, instructional flight. The pilot made touch and go landings at two different airports and then began his return to the departure airport. At the beginning of the return leg, the pilot checked his fuel gauges and noted that he believed he "would make it back [to the departure airport] with at least a quarter tank remaining." En route, the pilot checked his fuel gauges again, noted that they were indicating lower than he expected, and decided to divert to a closer airport. Approximately 25 miles from that airport, the pilot became convinced that he did not have enough fuel to reach the airfield. The pilot decided to make a precautionary landing before he ran out of fuel. The pilot selected a paved road with trees lining both sides as a landing site, and flew the airplane in a "descending right circle" to observe the area. The airplane touched down on the center of the road, but there was not enough lateral clearance, resulting in the left wing impacting trees that lined the south side of the road. The aircraft veered to the left, the nose gear collapsed, and the aircraft skidded to a stop on the road.
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: student
- Flight time: 59 hours in all; 55 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 11 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 1,764 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Continental IO-240 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Professional Air
The flight
- Departed from: KBDN Bend OR at 3:15 pm
- Destination: KBDN Bend OR
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.