Three POBs Lost

A Diamond DA40-tdi has been lost at sea in a rare fatal accident occurring to this genre of aircraft, Monday. According its new owner, the Diamond DA40-tdi (file photo, below), OE-KLA (S/N D4.008), was manufactured in 2003 and equipped for Night-VFR operations. The aircraft had been recently sold by an Austrian company to a Swedish flying club and was in the process of being ferried by the pilot and two unnamed passengers.

According to sources in the Diamond community, the aircraft had stopped at Berlin-Schoenefeld airport and departed at 1927 local time for the next leg... which involved an open water night crossing. The flight was seen on radar as having executed a descent, at a reportedly "normal" VS from 6000 to 3000 feet when the descent steepened shortly thereafter, followed by a rapid, turning, descent until the aircraft went off radar surveillance at approximately 2100 local time. The aircraft was last noted about 20nm offshore, over the Baltic, near Trelleborg, Sweden.

A search was mounted, debris and fuel/oil have been sighted, and all aboard are presumed lost. There were no reports of a distress call from the aircraft or any apparent foreknowledge on anyone's part that the flight was in trouble.

The all-composite Diamond DA40-tdi is the Thielert diesel powered version of the four place DA40 and is a popular touring and training aircraft in Europe. There have been only two fatal accidents in the DA40-tdi series and one other in a Lycoming powered DA40-180.

ANN will have more info as it is verified.

FMI: www.diamondair.com