Overview
- A Diamond DA42 training flight crashed into the Flight Training Adelaide hangar on April 29, killing the instructor and a 24‑year‑old trainee and injuring nine people on the ground.
- The ATSB’s preliminary on‑site and CCTV review found the nose landing‑gear actuator rod had fractured and showed signs of fatigue, leaving the nose gear extended during the 42‑second flight.
- Investigators say the stuck nose gear likely could have interfered with rudder controls and that the crew made a brief ‘engine failure’ call about 27 seconds after takeoff while the aircraft was already veering left.
- The ATSB has issued an urgent safety advisory to operators of roughly 600 DA42 aircraft and noted Diamond Aircraft issued service bulletins in 2013 and 2019 after similar actuator‑rod fractures.
- Detailed metallurgical testing of the rod and an engine teardown are still under way and the ATSB expects a final report in about 18 months, with immediate operational risks to flight‑training fleets the main short‑term concern.