Date:	Thursday 21 December 2023
Time:	18:53 LT
Type:	Diamond DA40 Diamond Star XLS
Owner/operator:	453ds Aircraft Leasing LLC
Registration:	N453DS
MSN:	40.1123
Year of manufacture:	2011
Total airframe hrs:	1866 hours
Engine model:	Lycoming IO-360-M1A
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Substantial
Category:	Accident
Location:	Spanish Fork Municipal Airport Woodhouse Field (KSPK), UT -   United States of America
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Private
Departure airport:	Spanish Fork Municipal Airport Woodhouse Field (KSPK), UT
Destination airport:	Spanish Fork Municipal Airport Woodhouse Field (KSPK), UT
Investigating agency:	NTSB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
The pilot was conducting a local flight when he heard a loud noise and saw objects eject from the engine area followed by a total loss of power. The pilot saw that the oil pressure had dropped to zero and the oil pressure alarm was sounding. He performed an emergency engine shutdown and made a forced landing at a nearby airport. During the descent smoke entered the cockpit, likely due to an inflight fire. During the landing roll, the nose gear collapsed as the airplane came to a stop on the runway. The two occupants egressed the airplane unassisted. The inflight fire thermally damaged the airframe from the engine back to the aft end of the cockpit.
Postaccident examination revealed the left magneto mounting hardware had backed out on the studs, which allowed the magneto to separate from the mounting pad on the accessory case. The open magneto mounting pad allowed the engine oil to escape until the oil sump was depleted of oil. The engine damage that consisted of multiple large fractures to the engine cases, and extensive damage to the valvetrain and the rotating and reciprocating group, was consistent with lubrication deprivation.
The magneto was installed on the engine the day before the accident and had accumulated about 5.6 hours of flight time between the installation and the accident. The pilot reported the oil level at preflight inspection to be just above the 6-quart line and did not observe the oil pressure out of the normal range during the flight before hearing the loud noise.

Probable Cause: Maintenance personnel's improper installation of the left magneto, which resulted in oil starvation to the engine and a subsequent total loss of engine power.

NTSB WPR24LA064
FAA register: https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResultnNumberTxt=453DS

https://www.flightaware.com/live/flight/N453DS/history/20231221/2339Z/KSPK/KSPK

The two occupants of a Diamond Star DA-40 are safe after the plane experienced an engine fire approx. 10,000 feet in the air over Utah Lake.
Read the story: https://t.co/sFsHI6CRZc pic.twitter.com/3izoftf0hZ

— Spanish Fork Police, Fire & EMS (@SpanishForkPDFE) December 22, 2023

Wow. This plane was clearly destroyed in the fire. I’m so glad the people who were inside are okay. @KUTV2News pic.twitter.com/Ht8jPPFdmP

— Amanda Gilbert (@AGilbertReports) December 22, 2023

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
22-Dec-2023 07:00	gerard57	Added
22-Dec-2023 07:25	harro	Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, ]
22-Dec-2023 07:28	harro	Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative, ]
22-Dec-2023 07:31	harro	Updated [Other fatalities, Location, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ]
22-Dec-2023 07:32	harro	Updated [Other fatalities, Embed code, ]
22-Dec-2023 07:53	RobertMB	Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative, Category, ]
22-Dec-2023 07:56	RobertMB	Updated [Embed code, Narrative, ]
22-Dec-2023 11:41	Captain Adam	Updated [Source, Narrative, ]
28-Dec-2023 15:36	Aerossurance	Updated [Source, Embed code, Narrative, ]
05-Feb-2024 11:14	Captain Adam	Updated [Time, Phase, Source, Embed code, Narrative, Accident report, ]
30-Apr-2025 11:53	ASN Update Bot	Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Damage, Narrative, Category, ]