Diamond Aircraft Ind INC DA 40 accident near Oakland, California, April 20, 2025
On April 20, 2025 at about 6:24 pm local time, a 2005 Diamond Aircraft Ind INC DA 40, registered N22QT, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Oakland, California (Oakland International airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain airplane control during takeoff with a left quartering crosswind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 20, 2025 · about 6:24 pm local time
- Place
- Oakland, California · Oakland International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Diamond Aircraft Ind INC DA 40, built 2005
- Registration
- N22QT · registry record · serial 40.491
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was performing a takeoff in a free-castering nosewheel equipped airplane, with a left quartering crosswind. As the airplane accelerated, he utilized right rudder to maintain runway centerline. When the airplane became airborne, it drifted to the right, over the grass area adjacent to the runway. The pilot applied left aileron to counteract the right drift, and the airplane pitched nose down. As he applied back pressure on the control stick, the stall warning horn activated, and he neutralized the flight controls. The airplane subsequently yawed left, and the pilot applied right aileron and rudder control inputs to correct the yaw and continued the takeoff. Following an uneventful landing, a postflight examination of the airplane revealed both wings and the rudder had struck the ground, which resulted in substantial damage to the rudder. At the time of the accident, the pilot was departing runway 28R, and the wind was from 290° at 7 knots. The pilot 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
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during takeoff
- Loss of control in flight during takeoff defining event
- Attempted remediation/recovery during takeoff
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Lateral/bank control › Not attained/maintained
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Yaw control › Not attained/maintained
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Pitch control › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Crosswind › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 408 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 51 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: December 31, 2024
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: rgt
Passenger
- Seat: rear
Passenger
- Seat: rear
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,646 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO360 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Alameda Aero Club
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 33, 3,376 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.11 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 am from KOAK, 1 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KOAK 201853Z 29007KT 10SM SCT250 15/09 A3011 RMK AO2 SLP194 T01500089
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
Photographs from the investigation 3 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on August 11, 2025. 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, 12 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 4 pages · our copy | 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 N22QT 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.