LAX98LA272 · Diamond Aircraft Industries DA-20-A1

The student pilot reported that while landing at the airport she made a very steep approach that resulted in what she described as a hard landing with several bounces on the runway. The runway surface was made out of asphalt. She found no damage during a postflight inspection and decided to continue the flight back to Santa Rosa. She said the run-up was normal and then departed. After climbing 200 hundred feet, the pilot felt that something was wrong with the way the airplane was performing since it was not gaining much altitude. Following a check of the power instruments and control positions, the pilot continued in the climb. The airplane climbed very slowly and reached 1,000 feet agl, about 10 miles from the airport. At that time, the pilot realized she should have been much higher and both the engine and airplane seemed like it did not have enough power. The student then turned back toward the airport as the airplane began descending. About 4 miles from the runway the aircraft was at 700 feet agl and still descending. The pilot then selected a field and set up for a forced landing. She stated that the airplane touched down and then spun around 180 degrees. An FAA inspector examined the airplane and engine. According to the inspector's statement, no preimpact discrepancies were noted with the airframe, engine, or fuel system. The propeller was deformed and exhibited both tip end damage and chordwise scratches. The propeller damage was not consistent with the nature of the field in which the pilot landed, but was consistent with asphalt contact.

Verbatim NTSB analysis and probable cause from the NTSB dataset