Probable cause
The student pilots inadequate landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing.
NTSB analysis
According to the student pilot, while flying the final leg of the traffic pattern, during his solo flight, he noticed that the airplane was "too high," and pulled the power to idle. Then he noted that the airplane was "too fast" and applied back pressure to the control yoke. The airplane then ballooned and subsequently the student pilot added power to go around; however, the airplane impacted the runway in a nose down attitude, became airborne, impacted the runway again, the nose gear assembly collapsed, and the airplane came to rest in the dirt on the left side of the runway. The accident sequence resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. There were no reported preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA14CA095 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Jan 16, 2014
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Milledgeville, Georgia
- Nearest airport
- Baldwin County Airport (MLJ)
- Highest injury
- None
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Diamond Aircraft Ind Inc DA 20 C1
- N-number
- N353DC
- Category
- Airplane
- Year built
- 2005
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
Other records under this N-number
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.