Diamond DA40 accident near Wells, Nevada, May 17, 2026
On May 17, 2026 at about 5:30 pm local time, a 2007 Diamond DA40, registered N787PV, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (climb to cruise) near Wells, Nevada. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s inability to maintain climb performance and clearance from mountainous terrain due to a downdraft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 17, 2026 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Wells, Nevada · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Diamond DA40, built 2007
- Registration
- N787PV · registry record · serial 40.695
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, after completing a four hour leg on a cross country flight, he planned to make a fuel stop in Wells, Nevada. Upon arrival he discovered the runway was covered in snow, and elected to continue his flight and obtain fuel at the next airport in Elko, Nevada. The pilot selected a direct route that included crossing a mountain range with ridgeline elevations exceeding 10,000 ft. While approaching the summit of the mountain range, the airplane encountered a down draft headwind that it could not outclimb. The airplane impacted steep, snow covered terrain approximately 500 vertical ft below the mountain summit. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the left wing, tail cone, and fuselage; the pilot sustained serious injuries. The pre flight weather briefing, obtained from commercial software used by the pilot prior to the flight, included a forecast for moderate turbulence below 18,000?ft at the location and time of the accident; the briefing’s graphical forecast for the accident time and location also predicted winds aloft from the west, mountain obscuration, and overcast skies with ceilings dropping to near or below the accident site’s elevation. The pilot stated he obtained local weather information by listening to automated airport weather station transmissions while enroute, and that the airplane was not equipped to display in flight weather data. The pilot reported no pre accident 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
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during enroute (climb to cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Downdraft › Ability to respond/compensate
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Downdraft › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 500 hours in all; 198 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 425 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 17, 2025
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,144.3 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 5, 2025; 51 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,655 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-M1A (piston); 440 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FNL Loveland CO at 1:14 pm
- Destination: HWD Hayward CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 11,000 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.91 inHg
- Observation at 4:00 am from KEKO, 31 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KEKO 171056Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM SCT110 04/M08 A2991 RMK AO2 SLP105 T00391078
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 4 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
INVESTIGATION PHOTOGRAPHS AND DIAGRAM Photograph 2 – Accident Airplane Wreckage
INVESTIGATION PHOTOGRAPHS AND DIAGRAM Photograph 3 – Accident Airplane Wreckage
INVESTIGATION PHOTOGRAPHS AND DIAGRAM Photograph 4 – Accident Airplane Wreckage
INVESTIGATION PHOTOGRAPHS AND DIAGRAM Diagram 1 - N787PV / ADS-B Track / May 17, 2026The 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
5 documents, released by the NTSB on August 20, 2026. 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, 10 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum for Record A�� Telephone Interview, Pilot | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Photos and Diagram | PDF, 6 pages · our copy | View Download |
| 4 | Weather Reports and Records | zip file | Download |
| 5 | Wreckage Recovery Report | 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.