Report details what led to Asheville plane crash

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WSPA) – A preliminary report has revealed new details about what led to a plane crash on I-26 near Asheville earlier this month.

On the evening December 14, the interstate was shut down after a single-engine Diamond DA-40 crashed onto the highway, hitting a power line and tractor-trailer, then caught on fire. The plane was being piloted by a flight instructor and their student.

A recent report from the National Safety Transportation Board, which investigates aircraft accidents, details the moments what led to the crash, and what may have caused it.

According to the report, a pilot and instructor from the LIFT Academy were on a cross-country flight when they felt a “shudder” followed by a loss of engine power. The plane also lost oil pressure and the duel engine control unit.

“The engine restarted momentarily but again lost power shortly after. The flight instructor was able to restart the engine again, but the cockpit began to fill with smoke before the engine lost power a final time,” the report reads.

The FAA said that the aircraft declared mayday due to engine failure and smoke in the cockpit before going down on the interstate.

The two pilots were transported to the hospital, one with minor injuries, the other with serious injuries.

“The airplane wreckage was recovered to a secure facility for further examination. At the time
the airplane was recovered, a connecting rod was observed separated from the engine,” the report reads. “The airplane received its airworthiness certificate on September 25, 2023, and it’s last 100-hr maintenance inspection was completed on December 9, 2023. At that time, the airplane and engine had accrued a total of 95 flight hours.”

In a statement following the crash, LIFT Academy confirmed one of their training flights made an emergency landing on I-26.

“Our certificated flight instructor used their training and experience to land the aircraft without serious injury to themselves or any injury to persons on the ground,” LIFT Academy said in a statement. “We are proud of the skill and composure our pilot and flight student demonstrated throughout the event and grateful to the first responders who attended to the scene to aid our pilots and secure the site.”