19 October 2006
A pilot and his two passengers were killed on Monday evening when their Diamond DA40-tdi plunged into the sea while approaching Sweden.
The aircraft, a 2003 example, reported as OE-KLA (S/N D4.008), was on its way from Austria to Sweden. It had recently been bought by a Swedish school. The leg on which the accident took place started in Berlin at about 7.30pm local time. Radar returns show that about 35km from Trelleborg on the south coast of Sweden, it had begun to descend normally (on a clearance), but then ‘plummeted’; the alarm was raised at 9.15pm.
The three on board were members of a flying club in Boras; local reports suggest that although their intended destination had been Boras, they had just been given clearance to fly to an alternate at Sturup.
The tdi – Thielert Diesel – version of the Diamond is widely used in Europe. It has so far had a very good accident record and is a much sought-after aircraft for comfort and economy reasons.
<a href=’http://www.diamondair.com’ target=’_blank’>Diamond Aircraft</a>
