Diamond Aircraft Ind Inc DA-40 accident near Arcata, CA
On March 2, 2009, a Diamond Aircraft Ind Inc DA-40 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Arcata, CA. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- March 2, 2009
- Place
- Arcata, CA
- Aircraft
- Diamond Aircraft Ind Inc DA-40 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 41.065°N, 124.170°W
- NTSB ID
- 20090309X63114
Official records · WPR09FA146
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On March 1, 2009, about 2300 Pacific Standard Time, a Diamond DA-40, N521DS, impacted the waters of the Pacific Ocean while its pilot was executing an RNAV/GPS approach to Runway 14 at Arcata Airport, Arcata/Eureka, California. The commercial pilot and his passenger were killed in the accident sequence, and the airplane, which was owned by Mitchell Enterprises Inc., was destroyed by the impact. The Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal pleasure cross-country flight, which was operating in night visual meteorological conditions (VMC), departed Bakersfield, California, at 1936. The pilot was on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan, and had been issued a clearance for the approach into Arcata, Airport. There was no report of an emergency locator transmitter (ELT) signal. Debris from the wreckage was first discovered on a nearby beach four days after the accident. According to family members, the pilot spent a number of hours on Friday, February 28, 2009, looking on the internet and calling around his local area in an effort to locate an airplane to use on a cross-country flight from Florida to Les Vegas. Although his first choice was a twin engine airplane, he was not able to find one available. He first contacted the owner of N521DS about 1100, on that Friday. He inquired about renting the airplane for a multi-day cross-country flight, and arranged for a checkout by the owner's check pilot the next morning, and for rental of the airplane beginning on that same day (Saturday). On Saturday morning the pilot and his passenger arrived at
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain proper altitude and glidepath while executing a night instrument approach. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's fatigue.
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Browse: California · Diamond Aircraft Ind aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
