Diamond Aircraft Ind INC DA 40 accident near Winnemucca, Nevada, March 17, 2023
On March 17, 2023 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Diamond Aircraft Ind INC DA 40, registered N326AF, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Winnemucca, Nevada (Winnemucca Municipal 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 student pilot’s failure to maintain directional control, and the flight instructor’s delayed remedial action.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 17, 2023 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Winnemucca, Nevada · Winnemucca Municipal 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
- Registration
- N326AF · registry record · serial 40.986
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor reported that, during an instructional flight with the student pilot at the flight controls, just prior to touchdown, the airplane started drifting left of center. The instructor told his student to go around, but the airplane had already reached the edge of the runway. When the instructor took control, the airplane had already exited the runway and came to rest on the adjacent dirt terrain, which resulted in substantial damage to the left wing. The flight instructor reported that there were no 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
- Loss of control on ground during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Instructor/check pilot
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring other person › Instructor/check pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 115 hours in all; 24 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 26 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 325 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 41 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 267 as pilot in command; 17 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 30, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,250 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 2023; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,646 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-M1A (piston); 408 hours total
- Operator: K2 Aviation LLC
The flight
- Departed from: KOLM Olympia WA at 7:00 pm
- Destination: KWMC Winnemucca NV
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 7,000 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 3:56 pm from KWMC
Weather report (METAR): METAR KWMC 172256Z AUTO 04007KT 10SM CLR 12/M07 A3013
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on August 10, 2023. 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, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (2) | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Photos | 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 N326AF 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.